The Pursuit of Perfection
by Nerro
Summary: AU. Namimori02345 is a guitar prodigy on the internet. With his face hidden from the camera, his slick fingers strumming effortlessly against the strings, is it really wise for a girl to pursue a fruitless infatuation with a stranger, like this? HibariOC  ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

Disclaimer – Don't own.

Hello to my new readers and old readers!

So this is my third (freaking) attempt at a HibariOC because I hated my last two, I found no substance in my OCs and the plot was just disastrous. Themes are darker than my usual fanfics, but it's something I've wanted to try for a while now. So a fair warning, this story is not all rainbow and unicorns. I hope I don't drop this as well, seriously, but I don't think I will this time…but knowing my issues with motivation I should be worried.

My knowledge on electric guitars is laughable, but nevertheless I do listen to masked guitarists so I have some basic knowledge.

Thank you for taking your time to read my new project, and I'd appreciate some feedback :)

_Warning for possible OOCness. POSSIBLE. _

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><p><strong>The Pursuit of Perfection<strong>

**Prologue**

It is every foolish girl's goal and principle in life to break the outer core of a jerk. A delusion that stems from movies, comics, cartoons and books indulging in the stupid idea that every hardcore guy has a soft spot waiting to be pushed, and once that's over with, a life of paradise awaits. You break his cold shell and his inner, sensitive side will pour into your hands, spouting springs of devoted love. But is that reality, or a myth?

Kurara Masao never dwelled on this possibility. She was indeed drawn to the idea of loving a jerk and breaking his shell. She wanted a love story like those in romance novels and manga books. The ones about your typical asshat that was either too cool for school or too egotistical for a soulmate, because we all know that deep inside jerks are most starved for love. Kurara also blindly believed love was possible between an idol and his/her fan. Distant love was the strongest, in her opinion, where one could look on the screen of their computer and still develop real feelings, not just infatuation. Chortle – they'd say.

For Kurara, this person was a stranger on the other side of the country. An internet sensation that cared little for his fans. Username Namimori02345 (or Mori for short) was a guitar prodigy that had been posting videos on MyTube for the past three years, hailed with the 'Hands of God'. Of course, no one really knew what he looked like. His 154 videos consisted of him shredding his pearl white Ibanez while sitting on his bed, clad in a black V-neck sweater and jeans, neck up hidden from the camera. Mori's technique with the electric guitar was unrivalled, and he wasn't far behind as a bassist either. Many agencies were desperate to scout him, and Kurara knew this for a fact, as he had appeared on the news several times with the headlines _'Unknown Prodigy Rejects Big-shot Label'_.

Kurara's favourite video by far consisted of Mori sitting on a pleather couch, his guitar held at a slant as his fingers grilled the 6 strings like an unstoppable machine -_ 30 Days Speed Shred_. The music shrouded her room, his hands jerked up and down the instrument flawlessly. With every strum and pluck his pale, stringent fingers made with his red pick, Kurara's eyes would follow while in a deep trance. He neither tapped nor bobbed to the beat, instead, his hands did all the miracle work.

Truth be told, she knew nothing about guitars, but Mori's music was her life and love. She'd often dream about meeting him someday – a tall, handsome, and aloof guy that would drag her into his glamorous world. Now that was fools talk, but she was too ambitious to realize that.

Kurara's life was nowhere near flamboyant, and she was a very simple girl. If anything, the only thing that stood out was her rebellious, peach coloured hair that hung loosely just above her shoulders – something she'd done out of stupidity (also in hopes that Mori would find her more interesting if she ever found out his real identity and stumbled upon him). Her clear brown eyes always had a vacant stare, and her dangerously skinny frame was often the topic of discussion amongst girls that worked with her. It wasn't her fault she had a fast metabolism…but wasn't that every emaciated person's excuse?

She had a job as a housekeeper in a small hotel, and before that she was undergoing training as a nurse, and even before that she worked in a florist. Kurara had epically failed her highschool entrance exams after middle school, thus her parents had forced her into finding work instead. This had proven to be quite a hassle at first, as not many wanted to hire a highschool drop-out. But as the experience piled up, her résumé began to look much more beguiling.

Working in a hotel was no fun. Occasionally you'd stumbled upon a room with feathers stuck to the walls, and if you were extremely unlucky you'd get a room with red-stained bed sheets and all types of nasty substances.

Most of the girls were not particularly appreciative of Kurara's presence. They thought her a bit too abnormal and strange for their childish friendship circles, since she was constantly working with a blank gaze on her face (thinking about what life would be like with Mori). But none of this alienation crap bothered her.

On one crucial Saturday, Kurara had overheard several of her co-workers gossiping in the hallway in the evening before changing shifts.

"Say, have you heard? They've found the whereabouts of Mori!"

"Like, no way? How?"

"Who's Mori?"

"Like, what are you? From the 21st Century?"

Kurara very much wanted to come out and tell her it really _was _the 21st century, but she kept herself hidden against the wall.

"Namimori02345, that unknown guitarist on MyTube that has, like, a TOTALLY hot body…"

"Anyway, remember that one video where he was playing in a room full of books?"

"Yeah."

"Apparently someone's found out it's one of the conference rooms in Namimori University!"

"So he's a STUDENT? YEEEE!" the squealing went on until a group people had exited out the elevator, to which they bowed their heads and scurried away.

Kurara shuffled her feet upon this revelation. Nothing could excite her more than getting closer to her beloved Mori. Oh sweet Lord, let this be true.

That night, she spent about four hours scouring the Namimori University website. She had heard a lot about it from her parents during middle school – when they had had hopes for her. It was a prestigious university rivalling with Tokyo University, there was constant tension between the two schools when it came to ranks and successful students. Namimori U was reputable for its psychology department and renowned for producing top psychology scientists, with its professors earning several awards for their contribution to psychology over the years. One could say the only thing stopping this school from manipulating the world was ethics.

Kurara's parents had expected her to take this course back in her 'hopeful' days, so she couldn't help but visit the Faculty of Humanities and Sociology and see the future she _could have had_. She browsed through the faculty website. The Dean was a psychology professor that looked no older than herself, and strikingly handsome at that. He was unsmiling in his photo, his hair was jet black, and his eyes were sharp, slanted, and cat-like, they bore holes through her head even if it was a lifeless picture. Judging by his lazy posture while in his chair, the photo was taken unknowingly and without permission, the subheading read _'Hibari Kyoya, Dean.'_ Kurara had never seen a professor this young and beautiful.

Anyway, Namimori U had a pretty nifty Faculty of Science as well, but her parents had always told her:

"There's no money in staring at microscopic poo all day, if anything you'll die from cancer before you win a Nobel prize."

She found this quite intimidating as a child, and had since never attempted to pick up a science text book. But nevertheless, she had a look-see and found the Dean for this faculty to be very attractive as well. He was as young as Hibari Kyoya, but his hair was an electric blue and styled in the strangest way that somewhat reminded Kurara of a pineapple. He looked absolutely lecherous, but still, that didn't stop her from thinking he was terribly good looking. Too bad she didn't like science. He seemed to be smirking at the cameraman; his subheading read _'Rokudo Mukuro, Dean.'_

The university was most likely popular for reasons other than high academic performances, it seemed to have something to do with young, attractive professors, Kurara couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She did extensive research on Mori's whereabouts , apparently what she had heard at her workplace was true. Mori's video number 150 was set in a different room with wooden shelves in the background stuffed with student's thesis'. A graduate student from Namimori University had recognized one of the books as her own thesis and claimed she previously studied psychology. This had sparked hoards of fangirls and fanboys to take action. Kurara was pretty sure the department of psychology was going to have a frenzy of new applicants this year onwards – well, it was probably helpful Hibari Kyoya looked like an asshole. But she liked people like that, Kurara bet she could get him to open up to her. No – she had to remain faithful to Mori. There had to be some way she could get into the university.

….

…..

The following day, she resigned from her job. She was set on moving to Namimori. She lied to her parents about wanting to start a new educated life studying psychology. Overjoyed, they agreed to support her until she found a part time job and a community college. Little did they know she planned to work a low income job for as long as it took to find Mori. So in a sense, she wasn't 100% lying…she did say she would get into Namimori U, just not with the more preferable method.

"It was nice knowing you Yura," said her co-workers.

They could have at least gotten her name right. At least.

"Yeah, I'm very sad to go." Kurara replied. This was the last time she would ever see them, and she really didn't care. She didn't even remember their names.

Departing with her parents was a much more emotional ordeal, but Kurara wouldn't let it stop her from chasing her love.

The night was short, and time went fast, the next thing she knew she was sitting on the bullet train on her way to the small town called Namimori. Here, while sitting on the train bench with her minimal belongings stowed in the compartment above, she finally reflected on her actions. This was probably the stupidest thing any human being could ever decide to do. She just gave up her job, lied to her parents, and was on her way to a completely different environment, all to pursue a guy who she only knew torso down. Kurara might as well have been in love with his guitar and it really wouldn't have made a difference. But at 21, she truly felt like life could take her somewhere better if she just did something bizarre.

Halfway there she slept, and she dreamt of meeting Mori on the school campus. Dreams could take a girl into a faraway place where she would never want to wake from, and sometimes they felt especially real. Kurara was no exception, but it was not entirely a dream of a stranger – well yes it was – but the face of Mori _this time _somewhat looked familiar. A stranger but yet, not a stranger? Whatever the case may be, she would forget all about it by the time she woke up.

About an hour later her eyes fluttered open at the sound of the carriage door slide open. Kurara looked startled to see who had just walked in. With a bag over his shoulder and the same glare he had in his photo. It was the Dean from Namimori University – Hibari Kyoya. Only he was wearing something so unexpectedly trendy; black baggy denims, a loose shirt, chains hanging from his neck and a pleather wristband. If Kurara didn't know, she would have thought this man worked in a host club rather than an educational institution. He looked even more dashing in person and it felt surreal to be in his presence.

He strode pass her, the smell of cologne drifting under her nose – that surprised her even more. Hibari deliberately took the seat furthest away from her, not even trying to hide his intention. He looked peeved at the fact that he couldn't have the entire carriage for himself. He rested his head against the window, and without a moment to spare, fell asleep.

It was coincidence, or maybe it was fate. Kurara was slightly offended by his actions but she couldn't help but poke her head up and peek at his sleeping face every once in a while. She wondered, was he single? What were his classes like? What was his _life _like? What was he dreaming about? He certainly looked like a very shut-in person. It hadn't occurred to her she had completely forgotten about Mori and the reason she was sitting on this bullet train in the first place. Hibari Kyoya, probably someone out of her reach, but he was sitting in the same carriage as her with his eyes shut. Kurara then made the decision to move closer, as stupid as it sounded. She got up quietly and moved a few rows down to sit right behind him. She twiddled her fingers nervously. Through the small gap, she saw his head lolled against the glass, his slick black hair was close enough for her to touch. She had an urge, yes, but not even idiots like her would dare.

Kurara felt her world was about to change.


	2. Chronic

Shout outs: CambioForma27, ShareBearTheDeathBear, leogirl321, SwirlzSmile, Geniusly-Unique

A big thanks to you guys for reviewing :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Chronic **

Hibari had left the carriage without wasting a single glance on her, and Kurara couldn't help but notice he had an annoyed, pissy look as he passed. Did he know she had been staring at him while he was asleep? Something told her this was the case. She struggled with her suitcase while leaving out the automated doors, one of the transit officers glared at her impatiently, not even bothering to help.

Kurara rolled her belongings behind her as she cluelessly made her way around the train station. Hibari was completely out of sight, but she hoped this wasn't the last time she would see him.

Her parents had kindly rented her a flat a few blocks away from the university, and it was also there she would spend the next few weeks looking desperately for a job. She wasn't qualified for an apprenticeship, and she wasn't patient enough to go through a precautions course to work in a laboratory – which happened to be where her least favourite subject was so it didn't bother her. Her last resort was to become a janitor, and unfortunately this was the option she ended up taking.

So after about a week of settling in, and not even bothering to greet her neighbours, she was set to begin work the day after tomorrow and was more excited than ever. Her landlady, a kindly woman that was about half a head shorter than Kurara, was nice enough to have her son – who incidentally went to Namimori U – take her to the school for her first day. At first Kurara refused, feeling it would be extremely awkward for her. But the sparkle in her landlady's eyes insisted she accept the offer.

His name was Sawada Tsunayoshi, a down-to-earth boy with outstanding hair. The contradiction could not be any more distinct, when they'd awkwardly got on the bus together and awkwardly sat side by side, they spoke about petty things while trying to get to know each other. If Kurara saw this boy from afar, she would have genuinely believed he was some kind of eccentric, quirky weirdo, not your average Joe.

"So what are you studying?" she asked.

"I'm an Arts student…" Tsuna said meekly.

"You paint?"

"No, not that art."

"Oh." Kurara wasn't sure what he meant. She was that uninformed.

"I major in Italian…"

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I see."

"Mhmm."

They stopped talking after that.

…..

….

Things were quite scary for her once she stepped foot on the stone pavement that led to the stretch of buildings. At the very end of the wide footpath was the largest building by far, with an old brass clock pinned on its highest floors. Tsuna started talking to her again.

"So er…where are you headed?"

"The main office, I guess."

"Do you want me to take you there?" Kurara could see he was not very willing, so she politely refused, said a word of thanks and waved him goodbye. Which was a big mistake considering she had no idea where to go right after he left. Kurara had no intention in asking anyone, she was socially inept as it was, and her conversation (if you could even call it one) with Tsuna was solid proof.

About an hour and a half later, she finally gave up. She collapsed on the dewy green lawn and waited for someone to come to her. Lying on the campus lawn was surely a good way to attract attention, but when she turned her head to scrutinise her surroundings she saw a number of students lazing around. Some even had books over their foreheads and were most likely fast asleep. Kurara rolled over to her side and ran her fingers through velvety grass. She could feel her clothes dampen the longer she lay there. If only she was a part of this campus life…if only…

"You okay there?" said a voice.

Kurara quickly scrambled to her feet. She came eye to eye with a tall, blonde foreigner, smiling at her with a friendly demeanour. At first she assumed he was a student, judging by how young and energetic he looked, but then she realised no hormone-driven student would be nerdy enough to be wearing a dress shirt and tie. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was "Blegh."

"That's a nice way to put it," he chuckled, "You're not a student here are you?"

"No. But how…?"

"Well, you're standing on the business quadrangle, and I've never seen you in any of my lectures before. Unless you're a psychology student to which I'll have to ask you to leave." He eyed her suspiciously, crossing his arms.

"I'm not. I'm actually here for a new job."

"Which is?"

"Oh. This and that," she replied hesitantly, not wanting him to know of her degrading no-good of a profession that was horse shit compared to his highly respectable job. It was especially pressuring when she realised many of the girls that had been dozing on the lawn had sat up and began staring their way. "I'm sorry c-could you tell me the way to the main office?" Kurara felt like slapping herself for stuttering so obviously.

"Sure!" he cried so suddenly it made her jump back. He offered her his hand. "I'm Dino, a professor in the Faculty of Economics."

"Kurara," she said while taking Dino's hand, who shook hers vigorously. Kurara could see a pen tucked behind his ear – she wasn't sure why she noticed that. "You're not from around here…are you?"

"Italian."

Dino was much more talkative than Tsuna. For most of the part he did the socialising, which made life a lot easier for Kurara. It was also quite evident she wasn't the only one that found him to be very pleasing to be around. A number of students, be it male or female, greeted him enthusiastically as they strolled down the campus. He would smile and wave back, uttering a 'Hey!' every once in a while. Dino was beginning to seem more like a celebrity and less like an educational practitioner to Kurara.

"So, why take a job here?" he asked.

"Nothing much. Just moved from Tokyo for a more confined lifestyle I guess," she lied.

"Oh good, I was beginning to think you were one of those fan girls."

"What?" Kurara stopped in her tracks.

"For the last few weeks there has been a number of girls panning the campus for that guitar hero whats-his-name."

"Mori," she croaked, then cupped a hand over her mouth and slapped herself mentally.

"You know him?"

"I know OF him," she quickly corrected, then took this opportunity to dig in further. "Do _you_ know him?"

"If I did, in fact, if anyone in this school did, he or she would be thrown out by now."

Kurara looked disappointed. But what did he mean by that? She hadn't time to dwell on this when they approached a tall, modern building with glass panels spawned over its surfaces. From inside a transparent glass, she could see shelves of books stacked neatly in a row, and tables facing the open sky. It was an easy guess, and she would be very surprised if she was wrong, but this was the notorious Faculty of Humanities and Sociology. A place she would have been today if certain things went according to plan.

A few metres ahead of them, Kurara saw the students in front begin to edge away from the centre. They parted to form an opening, and many had bolted the opposite direction. Though, as far as many of then went, some girls hid (quite visibly) behind trees and benches. Kurara wondered what all the kafuffle was about. She squinted, but needn't do so as the person that had caused this frenzy appeared from the opening space. He was flanked by two men, and looking meaner than ever.

"Uh oh," Dino chimed, gesturing her to move behind him. His playful smile did not leave his lips. "He's coming."

Kurara poked her head to the side, and saw that Dino and herself were the only two left standing in the middle of the path. Striding towards them was Hibari Kyoya, not in the stylish wear he had on weeks ago the last time Kurara had seen him, but in appropriate working clothes. For some reason, she was glad to see him, and for some reason, he wasn't glad to see either of them.

"Hey, Kyoya," Dino grinned. Kurara couldn't help but notice a hint of melancholy in his smile as he greeted the menacing Dean, but she brushed it off as a mistake.

Hibari did not respond, but looked away with almost disgust. He did however, flicker his eyes towards Kurara who was staring at him with her jaw hanging.

"You don't look too cheerful today," Dino tried again, as the Dean continued his path around them.

"It's none of your business," Hibari finally spoke. Kurara could have sworn he was shying away from the Italian, but the more she looked the more impossible it seemed. He seemed to be growing more frustrated with every word Dino threw up.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Save it for your concubines," he spat, and strode off angrily with a storm over his head, his two minions trailing behind him anxiously. Only when they disappeared into the faculty building, did Kurara turn away from their direction.

What was all that about? She saw Dino sigh miserably. She wouldn't dare to pry but it did make her very curious. She nudged the Italian in the shoulder to get his attention.

"Oh, sorry," he said, finding his pace again. "Best to avoid him if you're planning to work here. Kyoya doesn't like strangers." He probably meant janitors.

"You must be close, calling him by his first name," Kurara deduced.

Dino did not answer the statement. He started talking about how brilliant the students were in his classes, and how he'd only been teaching in the university for 3 years. But nothing he said could erase the sinking feeling in Kurara's chest that urged her to ask more about Hibari Kyoya. She pushed and shoved it away, and when it finally became too much for her, she decided to slip in a subtle question as slyly as possible.

"So um, how's the psychology here?" she asked.

"You interested in psychology?" Dino replied with another question which was not very helpful.

"I was, until I uhh, dropped out." She might as well say it if he's going to find out she's one of the school janitors anyway.

"Couldn't take the pressures of high school?"

"Middle school actually."

"Oh. That's awkward. Sorry. Well I won't lie, but Psychology is probably a mile better than my sector, but I'm a bit iffy about their teaching methods if you know what I mean."

No actually. Kurara had no idea what he meant. "I see. Who's in charge there?"

"The Dean and such."

"What's the Dean like?"

Dino shrugged and made no further comment. He deliberately avoided the question and Kurara could tell immediately, but seeing how uncomfortable it was for him to talk about Hibari (for some frustratingly unknown reason) she didn't press him further and began asking him about the different parts of the campus she could explore while getting used to the place.

When they'd finally reached the front office, Dino went ahead and left his good impression with Kurara. If anything, she knew she would be seeing him again.

Although she was 2 hours late for work, no one seemed to care or realise. She had been given a ghastly green uniform to change into, a locker and a collection of keys. Her colleagues consisted of unsociable grouches that didn't bother giving her any instructions. Kurara wasn't complaining though, it was exactly what she wanted. Keys that gave access to the entire campus and freedom. Now was the perfect opportunity to go exploring.

The uniform looked worse than she thought, even it did perfectly complement her peach coloured hair. It had a suspiciously mouldy smell to it, like its previous owner might have been a rotting corpse. She'd have to get used to it either way. She started down the stairs to leave the building, beginning to feel a slight tinge of excitement. But as she reached the ground floor and strode out the exit door, she was abruptly stopped by a woman with her hair pulled back in a tight bun.

"I need you to come with me," she said, pursing her lips.

"Sorry miss, I think you're better of asking somebody else. I'm new to this place." But the woman ignored her, grabbed Kurara by the arm and dragged her out the main building.

They passed the business quadrangle, the huge field that stretched across half the campus, and finally to a ominous and foreboding group of buildings with moss flourishing over the stock brick walls. Kurara shivered as they came closer. The high-strung woman burst through the doors, pulling Kurara along with her. The internal of this building looked nothing like its external, it looked like an abandoned hospital with its white walls and marble floor. The corridor looked especially sinister, the ceiling lights flickered on and off, and there were barely any windows to allow sunlight to seep in.

"Where exactly are we?" Kurara asked, getting slightly creeped out.

"The Science buildings, Mukuro-san asked me to bring a janitor to him. He's locked his keys inside his office again so he needs you to open it for him. Don't get me wrong, Mukuro-san is a brilliant scientist, he was just too busy to realise he'd left them on his table!"

"You…dragged me all the way here…the other end of the campus from Humanities and Sociology…to…" Kurara's voice was raising.

"What?"

"No. Nevermind. Weren't there any janitors nearby?"

"They tend to avoid the Faculty of Science. Mukuro-san encourages most of the students to use the labs to their fullest, so usually there's a mess."

"Kufufu. That's not the only reason they don't like coming here." Kurara jumped as she felt a hand clasp on her shoulder. Her keys jangled in her pocket and threatened to spill onto the floor. She turned around and saw Rokudo Mukuro wearing a pale white lab coat, smirking teasingly at her.

"Mukuro-san, you startled me!" the woman blushed while flapping her eyelids flirtatiously at the Dean of the Faculty of Science. She roughly shoved Kurara to the side. "Look who I've brought!"

"Good job trekking all the way to the main building for me. You can go back now," Mukuro smiled, a hint of mockery in his tone.

"Yes!" she said in a daze, and hurried down the corridor, leaving the clueless janitor to face McCreepy alone.

Kurara didn't dare move a muscle. Mukuro once again chuckled, and turned her stiffened body to face him.

"I don't bite, you know," he said in an almost seductive purr. His eyes looked bemusedly at her outrageous hair. Really, with just his voice and his gaze she felt violated. "Haven't seen you around before, are you new?"

She merely nodded.

"I see. Well, follow me."

And with wobbly knees, Kurara hurried alongside the scientist. To her doom…possibly.


	3. Secrets

Shout outs: Spazm, xNeve, ShareBearTheDeathBear, KhAeL, Genuisly-Unique, leogirl321

Please be warned for OOC. There will be a lot of that going on in this AU. And thanks to my scouz for betaing!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Secrets**

Kurara was sitting in Mukuro's office, waiting for him to return her keys. Having taken them from her because she had no idea which keys opened which doors, he was now twirling them around his finger while chatting nonchalantly on the phone. Every once in a while he'd glance over and smirk, obviously he was toying with her. Whenever Kurara tried to open her mouth to ask for them back, Mukuro would mischievously swirl his chair around so that his back would face her.

"Yes, that's right. Next Sunday will do. Maybe two or three. I don't know, you tell me. No, it's not a problem at all. Ah, how unfortunate, I'll see you then." He finally put the phone down and threw the keys at Kurara. She caught it clumsily and sighed in relief, she could leave in peace now.

"Thanks," Kurara muttered, getting out of her seat to leave.

"Wait, you – what's your name?" Mukuro asked suddenly.

"Erm, Masao Kurara."

"Kufufu. Be sure to visit again sometime, Kura-chan." At his too-friendly address, she shuddered. He smiled as she started out the door and shut it behind her quite hastily.

Mukuro watched her disappear out of sight through the glass window. He tapped his fingers against his wooden desk while falling deep into thought. It was a first – she hadn't noticed his strange mismatched eyes that most strangers would often recoil at. What then, was this young woman doing here as a miserable janitor? The phone began to ring again, he snapped out of his trance and answered it quickly. "Yes?"

There was a minutes silence as he stopped tapping his fingers against the table. He leaned forward in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. His face turned pale. His body stiffened. It was _this _phone call every month that he dreaded, but at the same time longingly waited for. Mukuro tried hard not to choke on his words. "She's alright, then? Yes, I want to talk to her."

His free hand was now balled into a fist, white and drained of blood. He tried to keep a smile on his face, in case anyone suddenly barged into his office or walked past the small window. He always had trouble hiding his crumbled self whenever this call came. Once or twice he'd nearly been seen in a chronic fit. It was a real hassle turning sadness into frustration, his greatest fear was to be caught in this distressing state of mind.

"No I'm not busy, talk for as long as you'd like," Mukuro's voice quivered dangerously as he spoke. He tried taking out a stack of paperwork to distract himself, barely skimming over the words as he listened to the sweet voice on the other end of the line. "I miss you too."

Just on her way out of the building, Kurara stopped in her tracks and remembered she had no idea how to get back. Feeling reluctant, she retraced her steps to the scientist's office, hoping he was still there. The corridor became less gloomy the longer she stayed, yet there was a strange feeling that she couldn't quite understand.

When she was once again standing in front of the office door, she raised her fist to knock, but then stopped abruptly at the sound of a man's murmur. Kurara craned her neck to peek through the small window. Mukuro had his face buried in his hands and the phone pressed between his ear and shoulder. He was shaking uncontrollably. Kurara could make out an insane crooked smile spreading across his face. At first she thought that he was going mental, but then, her heart tore into two. A stream of what seemed to be tears ran down his chiselled jaw. Her eyebrows creased at the sight – he was crying alone in his office.

The scene seemed to go on forever, for Kurara could not move from her spot. She knew once the weeping man put his phone down, he would look up and see her wide-eyed expression through the square window. However, her body would not listen to her, so she was left to witness the intimate moment. Her heart was thumping from both fear and heartbreak – why was this charming human being crying and shivering like it was the end of the world? She wanted to know so bad.

He finally moved his hands, revealing his wretched teary eyes. She saw his expression contort into a soft frown. He said something through the phone, but Kurara could only make out a '_goodbye'_. And when he hung up, the worse scenario possible happened – he looked up with his tired, strained face and saw Kurara staring at him.

Mukuro froze in his place. Kurara finally noticed his blue and red eyes that were now looking horror-strucked at her. His lips twisted into a smile of anger and hatred, and she knew at that very moment, he would do all he could to unleash onto her horrors she could only imagine, and he would let her know that this was the price to pay for probing into a stranger's personal life. His eyes said it all; she had made a big mistake.

Kurara ran for it, her legs trembling as she did. She burst out the front door and bolted across the field to nowhere in particular. She was afraid for herself; genuinely petrified. Students would stare at her as she continued to sprint from path to path. She felt a throbbing stitch in her stomach, and after 10 or so minutes of jogging, she stopped at a white building and collapsed on the front steps. She panted, her heart still ricocheting loudly in her chest. The sweat across her brow began to dry up as she calmed herself. The horrid stench on her uniform smelt worse than before. Kurara sat up and felt a pang of pain on her right elbow.

What was that? She asked herself. The day wasn't over and already she'd made an enemy. Never mind an enemy, Rokudo Mukuro had the eyes of a serial killer, they were still vividly visible inside her head, his wild livid fury. Kurara was almost certain she wouldn't live for another week. What had she gotten herself into? She was meant to be looking for Mori, she was meant to be invisible! Why hadn't she just kept her big nose out of his private business and left him to cry in peace? Why was a grown-ass man like him even crying?

"Are you alright?" a sweet, twittering voice asked. Kurara looked up to see a pretty young girl with carroty orange hair. She offered her hand. Kurara took it and stumbled as she was helped up. "I think we should get you in the infirmary, can you walk?"

"Yes," Kurara replied, wanting a glass of water more than anything. The petite girl walked up the steps and opened the door to the small building. She motioned for Kurara to go in first.

"Thanks."

The inside was very simple. A few chairs spaced in a row, a glass coffee table and a few vases of flowers here and there. A clock was hung up against the wall. The receptionist at the counter was a tall, beautiful Eurasian lady wearing a white coat. She looked curiously up at Kurara and then glanced over at the carroty haired girl. "Kyoko, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, Bianchi! I found her sitting outside, she doesn't look too well," Kyoko replied, adjusting the strap of her bag and walking over to join them.

"I'm fine, I'd just like something to drink," Kurara said.

"Alright, take a seat, I'll get you a glass of water. Kyoko, don't you have a lecture?"

"Mmm I've no more classes. I'm meeting Haru and the boys later."

"Tell Haru I said hi, and make sure my brother doesn't say anything stupid to her, you know what he's like. His way of showing affection for a girl is ridiculous," Bianchi poured a mug with water and came around the reception to hand it to Kurara. She thanked her and chugged it down at once, water had never tasted so good before. Bianchi smiled. "So what's your name, I've never seen you around before?"

"Kurara, I just started work today."

"I didn't think janitors had to run around campus until collapsing outside the infirmary."

"I – er – um," Kurara stuttered.

"Bianchi, I better go now, my brother is calling me. I hope you feel better, Kurara-chan," Kyoko, who had her phone out, quickly shoved it back inside her bag and hurried out the door. Kurara was thankful that she had been interrupted before she could give a stupid reply to the awkward question. She sank into one of the cosy chairs and sighed contently.

When she really thought about it, even though this was her first day as a janitor, she hadn't done a single ounce of cleaning. Nobody would notice anyway, right? She wondered what she should do tomorrow to avoid losing her head to Mukuro. Her chest tightened at the experience from earlier.

Bianchi took the chair across her, and folded her arms. "So, how has your first day been?"

"Eh?" Kurara really didn't want to talk about it. She rolled the sleeve of her right arm up, and winced at a bloody graze on her elbow.

"Ouch. Don't touch it, I'll fix it up," Bianchi said, getting to her feet again and rummaging behind the counter for a first aid kit. When she'd finally found it, she opened the case, took out a disinfectant, and began spraying lightly on the wound. Kurara flinched as it stung, but Bianchi ignored her scunched up face and continued to question her. "You didn't answer my question, how has your first day been?"

"Overwhelming," Kurara blurted as a cotton pad was swiped over the cuts to clean off the dried blood. Bianchi chuckled as she stuck a few bandaids on her elbow. She was good with her hands, Kurara could see. She was reminded of her time as a nurse in training, if she had managed to finish the course, would she have turned out like Bianchi?

"You know, you don't have to be afraid of telling me anything. I know you're one of those fan girls looking for that guitar hunk."

"What? N-No!"

"A healthy, young girl like you with minimum wages as a janitor? There's plenty of other work around Namimori. The only reason anyone would take such a lousy job in this university would be either because you're old and retired like all of the other janitors, or if you're desperate for something here," Bianchi smirked.

"I … I…" Kurara was stumped. Was this obvious to everyone? She didn't want to have to leave now.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, it'll be our little secret. I think it's admirable you're pursuing love so passionately. Love is everything." Bianchi looked dreamily into space. Kurara was just glad she wouldn't spill the beans on her. She relaxed in her chair again.

"Are there many others?"

"Others?"

"Um. Fan girls?"

"Some of the undergraduates, but none of them have made it into Psychology so far. And students from the high schools nearby like to hover in our library, but the board is going to do something about that soon."

"Oh. W-Well, thanks for telling me," Kurara peered at the clock. Her shift was over long ago, and she was dead tired from running for her life. "I better go now."

"Wait, if you're going to be working here, you should get to know this place a little better."

Kurara tilted her head and looked curiously at the older woman.

Bianchi frowned, a look of seriousness spread across her face. She crossed one leg over the other, and folded her arms. Kurara leaned back in her chair again, she obviously wasn't going to leave after hearing that. Was there something she needed to know?

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Kurara," Bianchi said in a almost severe tone. Her beautiful eyes stared alarmingly at the young janitor, "There is more to the staff than meets the eye in this university, things that a better left unknown. I wonder if you'll be staying for long, chasing a boy you know nothing about. It would have been better if you became a student like all the other fan girls."

"I can't, I dropped out in middle school."

"I see," Bianchi said, peeking around to make sure no one else was listening. She flicked her hair to one side of her shoulder. "Well that's too bad then, you'll have to go with the hard way. How about this, I'll start you off and be your personal guide. Woman striving for love have to look out for each other don't they?"

"I don't know." Kurara scrutinized her for a good measure.

"I just need you to listen to me and I guarantee you'll survive for at least a month. Do you want to find Mori badly enough that you'll stay here as long as it takes?"

Kurara hesitated for a moment, but she knew her resolve before she even came here. It was pointless to go back, she would only disappoint her parents further. "Yes, as long as it takes."

"Good, then you'll listen to me and do as I say?"

Kurara nodded. She really didn't have a choice. Besides, the last thing she needed was another enemy, and even if she didn't know whether to trust this woman or not it was much better than blindly shaking hands with another Mukuro.

"Tell me, who have you met?"

"First person was an economics professor…"

"That was probably Dino, he likes to help newcomers. He's a nice guy, he won't be too much of a threat. But you can't be too sure, there was a rumour going around about him being the head of a mafia back in Sicily, I don't know if this is true or not. Just don't mention Hibari Kyoya, he gets very uncomfortable."

"Why?" Kurara asked, remembering Dino had avoided her questions about the Dean.

"You'll know sooner or later, I don't think I'm the right person to tell you," Bianchi averted her eyes to the ticking clock, then turned her attention back to Kurara. "Avoid Hibari Kyoya at all costs. If you see him flanked with any of his supporters, turn the other way. If you see him alone, run the other way. And whatever you do, never – I repeat – NEVER mention Dino to him," It was as if Bianchi had a clear picture of what _would _happen if Kurara did mention Dino. She was tempted to ask, but refrained herself from doing so. These two men seemed to share a rocky past.

"Are there any others?"

"Avoid my co-worker Shamal, only because he's an idiot. Don't go near the Law building, the professors there are all psychotic, especially Xanxus, don't even think about talking to him. The people over in Engineering are safe, but they're a bit obsessed with mechanics. As for everywhere else, just be cautious."

Kurara was beginning to think this university was full of raging lunatics. The staff all appeared to be very beautiful, young and gifted people, but judging by everything Bianchi was telling her, they were all on crack. She was then reminded of the one person that hadn't been mentioned. "What about Rokudo Mukuro?"

Bianchi froze. It took her a second before she could register the name that had been uttered in her presence. Her perfect features warped into a terrified, soundless scream. Her eyes had become shockingly large. "You...talked to him?" Kurara was becoming scared.

"I – I was forced by some woman. He'd left his keys in his office."

"Listen Kurara, you were reckless, you should have left the minute you were done with your job. Rokudo Mukuro he – he sullies the word of love. There's not a single girl in the science faculty that has not been ruined by him. He's capable of things worse than death. He's **dangerous**," Bianchi had leaned forward and gripped the edge of the table so hard, her hands were turning a ghostly white. There was an urgency in her voice that made Kurara panic. She was afraid to tell Bianchi of what had happened when she stupidly turned back and _saw _him, crying at his office with an expression of misery and helplessness, the twisted smile he had given her when she had been caught, everything was gnawing on her chest.

Bianchi glanced at the clock once more, but instead of turning her attention back to the subject, she got to her feet. "Just promise me you won't go near the science buildings ever again. I've taken a liking to you, and I'd be sad if you leave this place without finding your special someone."

" I didn't plan on going near it ever again," Kurara muttered anxiously, she too got up and started making her way out.

"Come back anytime, I'll be expecting you," Bianchi said.

"Thanks." Kurara left the infirmary with a head full of thoughts. Her gut had tangled into a pile of knots, and she felt a heavy weight on her shoulders.

It had become quite dark outside. She kept walking until she reached the university main entrance where many of the students were leaving. Car lights flashed here and there, she turned a corner and hurried to her bus stop at the other end of the street, there were no people around, and a single street lamp was planted awkwardly behind the bench. The light was dim, and she could barely see her own hands, but when she'd looked down, she realised she was still in her uniform and had left her belongings back on campus. Her phone, her wallet, her clothes, were all stowed in locker 68. She dug around her pocket for some spare change, but could find nothing but her keys.

Kurara felt her eyes brimming with tears. Frustrated, she swore under her breath. She didn't want to go back to that horrid place, she wanted to go home – home where he parents were. Namimori University was nothing like she'd imagined. When did schools become so intimidating? Why were professors like Mukuro even working there?

Things were all starting to seem like a big mistake. Lying to her parents and fending for herself, why did she ever think it would be easy? Her world was once again shifting to a dead end.

At 7 in the evening, Kurara wept quietly on the bench, all alone.


	4. Her

Apologies for the late update!

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Her**

She thought crying was going to exempt her from her misfortunes and a nice person would come along and give her some change, but no one came. Her eyes were puffy and shrivelled, and three buses had driven passed without stopping. Three hours had been wasted on blubbering tears; the lights that brightened the entrance of Namimori U would disappear any second now, before the library shooed its last few students out.

Kurara wiped her tear ducts one last time and then made an effort to stand up. She would have to go back to the university to retrieve her stuff; her parents weren't around to baby her this time. If she was going to start becoming an independent 21 year old, now would be a good time to start. She made her way back to the campus.

Luckily there were still students loitering around so she was less afraid than if she were alone. The main building was relatively easy to find, and once she'd hurried up the stairs and grabbed her belongings, she locked the doors and left in a rush. Unfortunately by the time she was outside, all the remaining students had disappeared and the hazy light that once shone from the direction of the library was now gone. She tried retracing her steps, but it was impossibly dark and the beam from her phone was not helping. Kurara decided to take a guess and headed an eastwardly direction, but the longer she walked the more lost she became.

After a while, she ended up outside the building with the square windows spread across its walls. She recognised it as part of Humanities and Sociology; it was the same building she had seen earlier during the day with Dino. It was strange, she could see a light blaring out the upmost window, and now that she had seen it, Kurara was caught between doing her job and going up to investigate (janitors were usually blamed if a door was left unlocked) or walk away like she had no idea.

"_Kura, dear, remember to always do the right thing."_

She was not quite sure where that came from – most likely from her parents and their words of wisdom plagiarised off Confucius– but now she felt completely obliged to go inside the dark, foreboding building and go up maybe six or seven files of stairs alone. Kurara manned up, puffed her chest out and marched forward.

Good thing the stairs were steep, so the effort of climbing to the top kept her mind off more eerie things. By the time she reached the corridor of the topmost floor, she'd run out of breath and was ready to pass out. There was light seeping from underneath the very last door, and the faintest sound of…a guitar? Kurara's heart gave a loud thump. She quietly shuffled passed the other rooms and pressed her ear against the wall. It was definitely the playing of a pro, and the fast strumming and flawless plucking suggested this could be the one, this could be Mori, but did she dare move closer and peek inside the keyhole? Well why else did she come here for? Of course she was going to find out.

Kurara got on her knees and tried to see through the gap. No luck. She got up and squinted through the keyhole, but all she could make out was a chair in the middle of a white room. She tried moving left and right, the soles of her shoes made a loud squeak from the friction against the floor. The playing suddenly stopped, and then she heard footsteps coming her way from inside the room. She was so fucked.

She ducked down and kept quiet. The door swung open and a blast of light shot out, she saw a foot emerge from inside but was too afraid to look up. The figure turned on his heel, and Kurara immediately knew he was looking down at her. If Mori was the cool guy she thought he was, he would probably hate her for finding out, but if he wasn't and was a sweetheart instead, then consider herself lucky. Neither of them said a word, so Kurara decided to side-glance at the mystery person who was standing beside her, and she couldn't believe it.

"No, can't be!" she squeaked, jumping to her feet.

Hibari's aghast eyes were staring straight at her. He was wearing Mori's signature V-neck sweater and jeans, and he had THE white Ibanez guitar clutched in his right hand. She was dreaming wasn't she? This couldn't be happening, this couldn't be true! Kurara had barely been inside the school for more than 12 hours and she had _already _(out of sheer luck) discovered Mori's identity, and of all people it was the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Sociology. The Dean? The one with a doctorate? A discipline leader? An educational practitioner playing punk music? Even if he was young, she would have never guessed _he _was the guitar prodigy she had been longing to meet.

Kurara didn't dare say a word. She was afraid Hibari's expression would twist into the same frightful look as the one Mukuro gave her, if that happened she would quit her job the day after. But Hibari didn't make a move, it was almost as if the shock of Kurara finding out his secret was too much for him. He didn't seem like that kind of person though. By the sweat across his brow she could tell he had already been playing for hours.

"You…" Kurara jumped at the sound of his animalistic growl. He looked as if he was about to murder her.

"I-I won't tell anyone, I swear!" she felt very small with his tall self towering over her. Kurara could have sworn his hand was twitching to slam his guitar into her face.

Hibari did not look convinced. As an ex-psychologist, he knew very well the nature of the female species – gossip was etched on their forehead, and how did he know she wasn't one of those rabid _fan girls_. Actually, he was probably right, it was blatantly obvious she _was_ a fan girl. He could kill her, right here, right now, and everything would be okay, but soiling his hands for this mangy looking janitor with outrageous hair just didn't seem worth it. She was, he remembered, the same annoying girl that was staring at her the entire time on the train home. She was also the same girl that was standing beside the number one man he hated.

So if he couldn't kill her, what could he do? He could threaten her and get one of his subordinates to tail her, but if she told someone the damage would have been done already so there'd be no point in beating her up afterwards. He thought about it quickly, and figured he could bribe her AND threaten her then his control over Kurara's big mouth would double. There was also the option of seducing her, but he would rather kill himself that resort to that pathetic pineapple head's strategies. All this felt strangely familiar to him.

"A-A-Are you going to hit me?" Kurara stammered, now pressed against the wall with a terrified expression.

"No," Hibari started, shooting a deathly glare. "I'm offering you a compromise, one favour to shut you up for good."

"A favour?"

"…" He wasn't going to answer that.

"Anything? Like, slave for a year?"

His glare intensified, which meant no.

Kurara gulped, she was being put on the spot. He clearly wanted her to decide on something beneficial for herself but at the same time, had nothing to do with him. The look in his eyes was urging her to hurry up or else. Then, she had an idea, a good one at that. "W-Will you let me watch you play? Or at least listen to you whenever I…want?"

Hibari opened his mouth to protest, but suddenly stopped. "What?"

"I like your music. I-I'm a fan, so I promise I won't tell anyone."

It was déjàvu.

Everything was happening all over again, his past returned to haunt his present. He remembered the first time someone had asked for the exact same thing, but yet, why again? Flashbacks of a boyish girl with dark hair came hurdling at him. Pictures of her leaning against the window, watching him pluck on his old Gibson in the high school music room. Her sweet smile as she said to him:

"_Will you let me watch you play? Or at least listen to you whenever I…want?"_

Kurara uttered the same words, and it took him by surprise. He remembered it. He remembered _her_ - the reason he was a sensation on the internet, that girl that brought him and that vile Italian together. He felt nauseated even thinking about it, his painful past that was incised into him like a tattoo. Was it happening again? Was she back? What did she want? Hibari had no clue, and he continued to stare blankly at Kurara who was now starting to resemble _her_. His eyes softened for a second, just to reminisce. Yes, Kurara resembled her, without that stupid peach hair she looked just like her. He dropped his Ibanez.

Kurara saw it slip from his hands. She dove in and caught it in her arms, hitting her head against the side of the door. The guitar was safe, the precious Ibanez RG350DX that made the music she was addicted to. What had happened to its owner, though? Why was he frozen stiff?

"Hibari-san, are you alright?" she asked, getting to her feet and waving her free hand in front of his face. She tried clapping her hands a few times, but he was unresponsive. "I'm sorry, forget everything, just keeping posting your music and I won't say a word. I'm serious."

Hibari snapped out of it. He snatched his Ibanez back and said in a low growl, "No, I'll let you listen, but only once a week and you sit outside while I play. I don't want any distractions." They were the same conditions he demanded several years ago. Hibari wasn't sure if he was deliberately trying to relive his past or not. He eyed Kurara guardedly, he wanted to believe she was _her _reincarnation or something similar.

"Okay," she replied obediently.

It was just like her.

"One word and I'll bite you to death."

"Yes."

The words were exactly the same.

"Now get lost."

"Wait, since I get to hear you play once a week, I want it to be the days you record for MyTube. Can I?"

This was the only difference.

"You're pushing it." Hibari glared at her, but then sighed. "Why? You can listen to those any time."

"Because the videos on your channel are the ones that inspire me, I want to witness it live, I want to know where your enthusiasm comes from." Hibari was flinching at her corny speech, but the honest glint in her eyes told him every word was the truth. He couldn't figure her out, in fact, he couldn't figure anyone that watched his videos out, what was he doing that drove their obsession? Pheromones possibly, or maybe it was _her _doing, but she was dead.

"Do whatever you want."

Kurara thanked him, and promised one last time she wouldn't utter a single word to _anyone _about his identity. By the time she found her way out of the school, caught a taxi and reached home, it was way past midnight and the lights were completely off. Her spirits were high, she felt bewildered and in a daze. It was a miracle, her first day and she had already found the guitar prodigy, let alone gotten his permission to listen to him play live. What good deeds could she have possibly done to deserve this? She wanted to worship and thank her old colleague for letting her know Mori was in Namimori University. She believed her life could not get any better.

Her flat was empty except for a short table, mattress and a few unpacked boxes lying around. On the table was a tray of food and a yellow note addressed to her.

**Kura-chan, I hope you don't mind I made something for you. **

**You probably haven't had time to go grocery shopping. Eat well and sleep lots!**

**-Nana**

…...

…...

...

Hibari was at home, his hair damp from having taken a shower. He sank in his couch and wiped the trickling water from his forehead with his towel. He frowned, and stared at his guitar across the room. She was coming back, wasn't she?

"She even sounds like her."


	5. Assault

Shoutouts(for chapter 3 & 4): ShareBearTheDeathBear, Geniusly-Unique, Senna-X3, Jen the random reader, Love Muffin Of Doom, Adorkable93, kawaiinekochan16, Rawli, Leogirl321, scouz, rero-chan, .

Epic late update, I've probably lost all my readers by now. Whatever, I'm writing this one for myself so popularity isn't an important factor. So yeah I'm about to dive into my final FINAL final exams and thus I won't be updating for a while, so please bear with me THANKS.

I was so reading 6918 doujinshi while writing half of this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Assault**

Kurara was ecstatic about her first one on one session with Hibari. She had never felt so eager in her life, it was almost as if gold was about to be thrown into her hands. In the following 6 days, she became a regular visitor at the infirmary and would talk to Bianchi about everything, but of course she kept her promise with Hibari at the same time and avoided mentioning his name.

Yes, she wasn't a very social person, but when you're all alone in an unfamiliar town you need SOMEBODY to confide with. In her case Bianchi was the perfect person: she was nice, willing and helpful (also nosy), the only downside was that she could be the biggest bitch whenever her co-worker Shamal would randomly sexually harass her. Doctor Shamal was a man in his thirties with raggedy dark hair and a stubble. He was the biggest manwhore Kurara had ever met, but for some reason he never bothered to try his moves on her – which was a good thing, but it also took a toll on her self esteem. He also refused to treat men, although many of the male patients were perfectly happy to let the oh-so-gorgeous Bianchi take over.

"You're here again?" Shamal said matter-of-factly.

Kurara nodded, aware that he was sulking about not being able to go on with his usual perverted antics while she was here.

Bianchi was perfectly happy with the company. "So, when will you be meeting your dearest?"

"I can't say, confidential stuff," Kurara replied.

"A-huh." As Bianchi leaned forward to nosily probe into her business, they had an unexpected visitor. That person that had just walked in caused the lot of them to stiffen up, Shamal decided to hurry into his office and shut the door. The room began to fill with filthy miasma almost as if the grim reaper had just entered, but worse, it was Mukuro with his uncanny smirk. A part of his wrist was visible from under the sleeve of his labcoat, it was reddening and blistering but he looked impassive.

"Mukuro," Bianchi got to her feet warily.

"Hello Bianchi, haven't seen you in a while," his voice was lethal, Kurara could feel it was directed towards her. She couldn't lift a foot, let alone move her toes. She was so engrossed in her bliss of finally meeting Mori she had completely forgotten about Rokudo Mukuro. His eyes traced her from head to toe and she shuddered. "Kura-chan, I hope you still remember who I am."

Kurara's knees began to shake. Sweat tumbled down her back as she nodded her head. Bianchi stepped in between them and watched him with suspicion, "You need me or not?"

"Of course," he took off his lab coat and showed Bianchi the burn, "had a little accident with the hydrochloric acid."

Bianchi continued to scrutinize him, "That's not usual, aren't you supposed to be a top tier scientist?"

"Kufufu. I'm only human."

She didn't budge from her spot, afraid he would do something inhumane to Kurara. "Doesn't look too bad, did you run it through water for 20 minutes?"

"I said I'm human not stupid." It sounded more like an insult than a remark.

"You know you're not wanted here."

"I'm very aware of that dear Bianchi, you've never made it more obvious," Mukuro decided to stroll nonchalantly over to a row of hooks and hung his lab coat on the far end, "But too bad you have a job to do, a very sad one if you ask me, couldn't get your head out of love during highschool and look where you've ended up." His jesting tone was like a slap on the face for Bianchi, and he knew exactly what he was doing. Mukuro turned on his heel and strode towards the now livid nurse with her fists balled up ready to go ballistic at his mocking face.

"Listen. I could just not bother with you, let that burn on your self-proclaimed pretty complexion turn into an ugly scar, then maybe those girls will come to their senses, it'll save me the trouble of having to clean them off every time you let your sick fantasies get to them. You don't realise I could call the cops right here, right now," Bianchi snarled.

"I dare you. Then you can explain to them why you've kept it a secret up until now, conspiring with me perhaps? I'll back it up, and don't forget," Mukuro cupped her delicate face in his good hand, his smirk widened into a demonic, sick smile that made even Kurara, a bystander, desperately want to bolt out of the room, "_You_ were once one of those girls."

"Don't touch me!" Bianchi shrieked, recoiling as if Mukuro were an infection. She stumbled back and would've hit her head against the coffee table if Kurara hadn't jumped to her feet and caught her, but whatever Mukuro had brought up had distressed her enough to turn flaccid with horror. Shamal came bursting out of his office with a raging look, Kurara had never seen, on his face. He took the weight off the struggling janitor and swung Bianchi's limp arm over his shoulder. He was baring his teeth at the still smiling Dean who'd raised his hands like he'd done nothing wrong.

"I'm warning you Mukuro, don't think the board will turn a blind eye forever," and despite Shamal's unyielding threat, he kept his distance from the dangerous man. No one could blame him though, there was just nothing right with the scientist that stood before them. "And don't forget…who was the one that helped your precious little sister?"

Mukuro flinched. He cradled his wounded hand and shifted his eyes away from Shamal's. He owed the old man a lot, for without him he would of lost his special person. Mukuro backed down and sighed resignedly, "Fine fine, it won't happen again. Could I at least get something for this before I leave?" He showed his worsening burn.

Shamal peered over Bianchi's lolled head and instructed Kurara, "There's a tub of burn cream on the counter so I'm leaving it to you, I'm going to put Bianchi down."

Well that was flippin' great. Leave the meal for the monster why don't you? Kurara tensely watched as Shamal disappeared down the corridor with Bianchi. What did he expect from her? Demons and ghouls might as well have been lurking outside, and she would still rather be with those than with Mukuro who was now taking slow steps towards her. Kurara was hoping he'd forgotten about her spying on him while he was bawling his eyes out, but apparently not. Mukuro's expression was now teeming with bad intentions.

He was so much taller than her, Kurara thought, and his mismatched red and blue irises bore holes through her head. She quivered, "W-Well take a seat while I find it for you."

Suspiciously, Mukuro did as he was told and sat himself down, crossing his legs. Kurara took her time rummaging behind the counter for the tub of burn cream, unfortunately it was fairly easy to find and Mukuro was watching her like a hawk so she couldn't stall for any longer. Hesitantly she placed it down on the coffee table in front of him, and offered a handful of cotton swabs. She wished he would hurry up and leave already.

"I'd do it myself but...I was clumsy enough to spill the acid on my dominant hand, so if you wouldn't mind?" Mukuro asked.

Kurara became rigid. Her heart was beating so severely, her stomach felt as if it was caving it, she wanted to throw up. Mukuro had already laid his hand out on the table, it was clear he was up to something. Kurara obediently twisted open the lid of the tub and scooped a chunk of the white, thick substance with a cotton swab. Her arms were shaking as she carefully took his hand and dabbed on the wound; he was watching her every move.

"Your hands a very soft Kura-chan," Mukuro said, flashing a grin.

Kurara chuckled nervously in response. "You think so?"

He suddenly reached over and yanked her hair. Kurara yelped in pain and felt herself be reeled into his chest, she tried to pry his hands off but he was monstrously strong. He cupped his hand over her mouth and hissed, "Shhh, we don't want that pathetic excuse of a doctor coming back."

Kurara let out a muffled whimper; her heart rate at its peak. "What horrible hair, did you think a guitar prodigy would be impressed?" Mukuro's sinister chuckle was no more reassuring than his vengeful eyes. Kurara was struggling to move her limbs, her arms tugged uselessly against his hands. Her head was beginning to ache, he was pulling her hair so hard she could feel the roots coming out. No, she wasn't going to give up like this, she couldn't just wait for someone to walk in and rescue her.

She swung her arm at him and felt it hit against his face, she didn't know exactly where and she was too terrified to find out. Kurara felt his hold loosen, so she dove onto the floor and out of his way, her shoulder landing with a painful smack on the tiled floor. She groaned, sure she broke a bone or two, but it wasn't the end yet. Kurara could almost feel the vehement wrath burning behind her. While clutching onto her shoulder, she scrambled towards the entrance as fast as she could. Not fast enough – Mukuro seized her ankle and dragged her back. Kurara let out a startled cry as she painfully skidded backwards. Mukuro turned her over to face his insane smile. He straddled her and pinned both her arms against the floor. Kurara felt like a play thing. Was this his twisted way of exacting revenge? Ravaging her until she reached insanity? This man was sick!

Before she could cry for help, Mukuro landed his lips onto hers. They were cold and selfish, she felt nothing but violation. In middle school she was told a kiss was like licking a bowl of melted chocolate, but right now it felt more like a block of ice was being shoved inside her mouth. It was because Mukuro had no intention of pleasuring her, he was here to _destroy _her. How unfortunate her first time would be like this. Kurara felt her cheeks grow hot, this wasn't the way she pictured intimacy to be, he was ruining everything.

She bit his lip and Mukuro jerked away. Kurara took this chance to push him off, and from the corner of her eye she saw the door behind them open. Mukuro jumped to his feet. Hibari's tall silhouette towered over Kurara as she lay sprawled on the ground. He looked suspiciously at her then looked up at Mukuro who's bottom lip was now bleeding. Hibari's usually grouchy expression turned furious. "Rokudo Mukuro, keep your impropriety off the campus grounds," he growled dangerously.

"Kufufu, you misunderstand she merely tripped and fell, I was just on my way to help her up. Such a dirty mind you have there," Mukuro said in his defence, smirking at the opposing Dean.

"You're bleeding."

"Not bleeding, a cold sore, ever had one before? Though, I'm sure Di—"

"Say his name and I'll kill you," Hibari hissed, his eyes blazing with the intention to murder.

"I surrender," Mukuro said playfully.

Hibari was not impressed. He detested the sight of this lecher, everything about him pissed Hibari off. Mukuro held out his hand to help Kurara to her feet, she had no choice but to accept his phony offer but shuffled away the minute she got a chance.

"Thank you, Kura-chan, for tending to me in Bianchi and Shamal's place." Mukuro took his lab coat off the hook and put it on. As he went to leave he paused beside Kurara and gave her a sideways glance, she knew better than anyone he was telling her _"I'm coming back for you". _He walked passed Hibari without uttering a word and was out of sight. Hibari seemed to have calm down after that.

Kurara stood in the middle of the room looking like a mess. Her hair was ruffled and her shoulder was throbbing with pain. She wanted to cry in front of Hibari, who was still looking at her, and more than anything she wanted to hear his music. She kept repeating to herself that this wasn't going to stop her, she wasn't going to leave Namimori University because of Mukuro. Kurara's eyes were tearing up.

"Even if you cry I won't comfort you." Hibari took the seat nearest to the door and crossed his arms.

"I d-didn't expect you to," Kurara was holding back her sobs, "I-I…hic…didn't expect anything."

Hibari sighed, "You're an eyesore."

"You won't…hic...tell me not to come anymore right? P-Please don't, I'll stop crying, I'll stop."

"Even if you stop I'm not going to tell you what to do. I'm not in control of your life, you chose to be a victim of that lecher. It's just sad seeing you so pathetic."

Kurara began to shake uncontrollably. It was bad enough she'd just been mistreated by a psychotic man, but now the person she'd been irrevocably in love with for so long was looking down on her. It wasn't her fault she walked in on Mukuro, and how could she have known he would end up hating her so passionately just for doing so? She tightened her grip on her injured shoulder and reminded herself: _it's men like this, that will turn for the better, and cherish you for eternity if you can just persevere and bring their sensitive sides out. _It was always true in the movies, she just had to keep her cool, mummy and daddy weren't around to baby her anymore. Plus the biggest advantage was already in her hands, she knew who Mori was and she was the closest to him out of all the thousands of fangirls and fanboys in the world. It was a sign from God, he wanted her to stay.

She took a deep breath in and muttered, "Sorry."

Hibari ignored her, now more fascinated with a book he'd taken out of the magazine rack beside him.

Kurara heard footsteps stumbling loudly down the corridor, followed by yells and cries from what sounded like Shamal. Bianchi's head poked out from behind the wall, she had obviously snapped out of her trauma.

"Bianchi come back!" Shamal called.

She spotted Kurara staring dumbly at the floor. Bianchi rushed to her side and shook her wildly. "Shamal's an idiot, how could he leave you alone with that criminal? Kurara what did he do to you?"

"Ouch…" Kurara flinched.

"Your shoulder, how did this happen? Don't worry I'll make sure—"

"Don't!" Kurara demanded, more determined than ever to impress Hibari who was still reading, unconcerned with the ruckus. If he didn't like weak, whiny, cry-baby girls than Kurara was going to tolerate everything this university would throw at her, even if it meant hiding from Mukuro for the rest of her life. "I tripped and dislocated my shoulder, that's all! Mukuro didn't do a thing, he left after I helped him with the burn, he was perfectly civil!"

Shamal finally caught up, he was panting heavily while leaning on the counter. He spotted the Dean sitting near the door, "Hibari? When did he…?"

"Are you sure?" Bianchi interrupted, not entirely convinced.

Kurara nodded. "Now can I please get this shoulder fixed," she glanced over at Hibari, who was now paying attention to them. She muttered vaguely so that only she could hear, "I'm not missing out tonight, it's urgent."

The Dean got to his feet, tired of waiting for his turn. He had only wanted a Panadol for his migraine, but just sitting here and listening to these buffoons squawking non-stop was making it worse, he always hated crowds. "I'll come back some other time."


	6. Crevice

I hate my writing…

One last update before my exams, I'm so screwed.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Crevice**

Kurara found a apple scented candle while cleaning out the storage in the evening, and thought it would be nice to use while waiting for Hibari to arrive. She never used candles before, to her they were gifts that equated to insults or junk meant for storage keeping, but since there was nothing better to do while she sat in the corridor, lonely and afraid in the dark, she decided to light it with a box of matches she found lying around. The wick flickered with a brilliant flame, and the sweet scent of apples calmed Kurara down. It was a pretty sight, the orange light glowing on her skin, she could stare at it all day. No one would notice if she kept it.

Her shoulder was much better now, luckily it wasn't dislocated or broken but bruised. It was purple and in pretty bad shape, but a couple of painkillers and a bag of ice was all she needed. Kurara's mental scar however, would stick with her for life. Mukuro had stolen her first kiss and as much as she hated it there was nothing she could do. Kurara could pretend it never happened, but fact was fact. It still bothered her – what Mukuro had tried to do – but now was the time to forget everything and enjoy what she had been looking forward to for days. Maybe after the night she would feel better.

She heard footsteps coming towards her, and immediately she got up. The flame from her candle revealed a weary looking Hibari with his Ibanez in his hand. He teetered passed her without saying a word and unlocked the door.

"Hibari you don't look too well," Kurara said.

"Mind your own business," he starkly replied, slamming the door behind him.

Kurara waited outside while Hibari set up the amplifier and so on, she wasn't too familiar with the mechanics. When he was done, the blinds were pulled up for Kurara to see. He opened the window briefly and instructed her, "If a hear a peep from you there won't be a second chance."

"Okay." It was shut in her face. Kurara put her candle down and leaned against the windowsill. She saw a camera on a tripod with a red light flashing on and off as Hibari sat himself down. It felt like a dream being able to see her idol, her precious person make the music that had kept her alive all these years. She never thought Mori would turn out to be a academic genius as well as a musical genius.

Hibari made the first strum, followed by a series of slow but graceful movements. His fingers moved up and down the strings with moderation. At first it seemed like you average guitarist, but as he picked up the pace, the whole world had turned upside down. Kurara could not believe her eyes, every stroke was coming from a person she had never seen before. The way he played was exactly how she pictured it, a beautiful man pouring his heart and soul into his music.

Then with a sudden burst of energy, the tempo skyrocketed to a maximum, the plucks let out a sharp and brassy tune. Hibari's expression turned almost lustful as he powered through the notes, it made her heart pound, and she wanted more. The strumming, plucking, shredding all became a blur to her, until all she could see was the sway of Hibari's figure as he leaned forward. For a moment her head felt fuzzy, and her knees threatened to buckle. Kurara was drowning in bliss, if only the world could see this, thousands of women would be clutching their chests with desire, thousands of men would be green with envy. Kurara couldn't rid this wonderful, hot feeling.

The pace was picking up again, and sweat was devouring Hibari whole, but it only made his skin shine against the light like a perfect sculpture. It made him even more handsome than he was, and Kurara could not help but feel out of his league. When he played, it was like he was chasing something, redeeming himself. The tragic tune tugged against Kurara's heartstrings, she was completely drawn into his song.

Then he abruptly stopped, and fell off his chair. He dropped his guitar and buried his head in his hands as an excruciating pain shot through his head. Kurara snapped out of it and burst through the door. She scrambled to his level and reached her hands out to help him.

"Don't touch me," he snarled, stumbling to get up.

"You don't look too good, I'll help you up!" Kurara tried to help again, but he slapped her hands away.

"I can manage myself."

"But—"

"Just leave me alone, I'm fine." Hibari mustered all his remaining strength to stand up, but just as he did, his conscience gave in to exhaustion and he collapsed again. Kurara caught him in her arms, but she could barely hold his weight.

"Jesus…why are men so heavy?" Kurara kind of slowly crab walked to the side and plopped Hibari gently against the wall. She waved her hand in front of his face to make sure he really was unconscious, Hibari looked dreadful, heat was radiating from his body, and his hair was all over the place (he still looked gorgeous). Kurara felt his forehead. "He's on fire oh gosh, what do I do?"

She searched her pocket for her phone, and considered calling the ambulance, but then wouldn't she have to explain to them that Hibari had been playing an electric guitar? He would murder her afterwards. Then what should she do? She couldn't just leave him here. Kurara scrolled through her almost-empty contacts list and saw the first number labelled _"Bianchi". _Well, she was the only person in this entire town she could rely on, and at least the chances of her blowing Hibari's secret would be low. She made the call.

Bianchi picked up after the third ring.

…..

…..

…..

"He's fine, just fatigued," Bianchi said, holding up a thermometer, "he probably came to the infirmary this evening for a Panadol."

"How do you know?" Kurara asked, still trying to take in the fact Hibari (otherwise known as Mori) was lying on her only bed (a floor mattress) and most likely staying for the night.

"Hibari has been coming for Panadols for weeks now, ever since highschoolers from all over the country decided to clog up the applications list for psychology. He's probably been pulling all-nighters looking through resume after resume, and now on top of that, he keeps playing his guitar every night which drains a lot of energy. What an incredible guy."

"Why doesn't the rest of the staff do it?"

"It's not as easy as you think, especially with all that pressure on his department, it being the university's number one area after all. It must be very frustrating knowing ninety percent of the new applicants are enthusiastic fan girls that probably won't take the course seriously anyway," Bianchi began packing her medical supplies away, she paused to look at Kurara who was still staring at Hibari in awe. "What were you thinking Kurara, associating yourself with Hibari Kyoya? I thought I told you to stay away from him?"

"I never intended to I-I swear!"

"I don't even know how he'll react when he wakes up in your flat, he has the biggest ego on the entire campus, actually probably the entire country. This will hurt his pride you know."

"I couldn't just leave him there could I?" Kurara scowled at her, she couldn't believe she was getting lectured for doing the right thing.

"I'm sorry Kurara," Bianchi chuckled, and poked between the younger woman's furrowed brows. "Say, I can't believe he's the real deal, how did you find out anyway?"

"What?"

"Mori, I can't believe of all people, this discipline-obsessed grouch is that guitar hunk!"

"Hibari is amazing! If only you'd seen him—" Kurara shut up. She'd forgotten if Hibari found out Bianchi knew his big secret, and on top of that he was already going to blow a fuse for staying the night at Kurara's house, he would tie her to the back of his car and speed down the highway while she died a slow and painful death. Kurara shuddered.

"Where will you sleep?"

"I'll figure something out."

"Well I hope you know what you're doing, I'll pretend none of this ever happened."

"I owe you one."

Bianchi smiled, she picked up her things and got up.

"Hey Bianchi…" Kurara asked before she left. Bianchi stopped in her tracks. "What did…Mukuro do to you?"

"Nothing." She left without another word. Kurara watched from her window as Bianchi got in her car and drove off, almost hastily. It drove her mad, not knowing the full extent of Mukuro's torturous nature, but she could understand if it was too traumatizing for Bianchi. Still, she was curious, especially after the way she reacted.

Kurara lay on the floor that night. She had only one spare blanket and a cushion to use, so it was extremely uncomfortable. Aside from that, she couldn't fall asleep with a guy lying across the room from her, especially an attractive guy she was deeply in love with (so she told herself). Kurara couldn't help it, she virtually stared at him all night, his gentle breathing and occasional movements, she was being a real creeper. She still couldn't believe her dreams were unfolding so quickly, if only he could love her back faster, then everything would be perfect. The assault she had witnessed from Mukuro has evaporated from the back of her head, it was like it never even happened.

Only at 3 in the morning, did Kurara eventually fall asleep. She dreamed about the day Hibari finally returned her feelings. He turned from jerk to loving boyfriend, just like that, and he cherished her more than anything. In fact, her dream went as far as them marrying, having children and living happily ever after. Little did she know, it was the most _wrong _and **absurd **dream she could ever have. It was a foolish dream by a foolish girl that couldn't face reality.

Hibari on the other hand, was reliving a memory in his dream.

"_Hey Hibari, you play really well, why don't you post it on the internet?"_

"_Don't be stupid."_

"_I'm serious, you'll be super popular, and you never know your popularity might land you Miss Perfect!"_

"_No."_

"_Come on, you even have your own fan club in school you know. I don't understand how an incomprehensible jerk like you ended up so popular with the ladies. I guess looks are everything these days, but I would never date you, no offence."_

"_If you're done you can leave now, I'm busy."_

"_Why haven't you dated any of your fan girls anyway? There are tonnes of pretty girls that are after you."_

"_Unlike you, my priorities don't fall in the superficial category, I have better things to do."_

"_Like what? Beating people up and then enforcing discipline while secretly practicing the electric guitar like it's something to be ashamed of? Seriously you need a life." _

"_Think what you want, I act on my own accord."_

"_Hmph."_

"…_.."_

"_Hey Hibari?"_

"…"

"_We're friends right?"_

"_Hardly."_

"_That's good enough."_

"…"

"_Hibari?"_

"_What now? You're beginning to annoy me."_

"_I want you to meet someone, the guy I've started dating."_

"_I'd rather not, I have no interest in your trivial affairs, now leave me alone before I bite you to death."_

"_Wait, his name is Dino."_

Hibari awoke at approximately nine in the morning on a Saturday. It was his day off, but he wasn't at home or any place familiar. He scrutinised his surroundings: unpacked boxes, no furniture, an untouched kitchen, a useless herbivore with outrageous peach hair lying on the ground a few metres from him. He was still wearing the clothes he wore for all his videos and he felt groggy in the head. Beside him was his guitar and a candle that looked like it belonged to the university. Hibari got up and walked over to the sleeping idiot. He felt like kicking her, but even a jerk as big as himself had no intention of hitting a woman, but in this case, could he even call this thing a woman? Kurara was rolled into the fetal position with her blanket wrapped around her like a sushi roll. Hibari made the choice to kick her awake.


	7. Fear

Overdue Shoutouts: Genuinely-Unique, leogirl321, Fire Princess21, Reiya Sumeragi, Jen the random reader, kawaiinekochan16, rero-chan, Betsu, Kattungefisk, amorbidfanofyours, Too lazy to log in sorry (you can stop waiting now)

Thanks for being patient with me. I know it took longer than expected but there is good reason for that – writer's block – every author's biggest enemy. You can thank Naruto soundtracks for the sudden spark of inspiration again. I will resume writing at a pace that suits the current situation, but god forbid I ever give up on this story! It won't happen I promise.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Fear**

She jerked and yelped in pain. Hibari had successfully given her a fresh bruise, but her passive temperament kept her from lashing out at him. Kurara stumbled to her feet and dusted herself off, she met eye to eye with Hibari and asked dazily, "What time is it?"

"How should I know?" he replied in an ungrateful tone.

Kurara rubbed her eyes and took a moment to clear her head. Things were starting to make sense now and she had a sudden epiphany, "Oh gosh, Hibari!" she was about to throw her arms around him but his glare deflected her, "Right, sorry, are you alright now? I was so worried, I didn't know whether to call the ambulance or not, but thank god I didn't or else you would've butchered me, do you want a glass of water? I don't really have anything to eat here, but if you want I could go out and get us something? I left your guitar over there, I hope you don't mind me touching it."

His head was beginning to hurt, he just wanted to leave this house as soon as possible. It was humiliating enough he had fainted before this silly human being, but crashing over at her place basically tore his pride in half. Now he owed her, big time, he also needed her to shut up about the whole ordeal. Hibari hated owing people.

He sighed, "What do you want from me?"

"Excuse me?"

"I have a debt to pay, so name the price already."

Kurara looked strangely at him, "It's alright, really. I was just doing what any good Samaritan would do…" she hoped he would do the same for her.

"Suit yourself." She was one of _those _people, so reasoning with her wouldn't work. "I'm leaving."

"Should I call you a taxi?"

"No." Hibari swung his Ibanez over his shoulder and readied to leave.

"You're going to the campus to get your things right? I'll show you the way."

"No."

She followed him anyway, insisting she would be of help. Hibari admired persistence, but girls like this didn't do the word justice. Even if he knocked her out and left her on the sidewalk, he bet Kurara would still somehow reanimate and stalk him until he reached home. That wasn't persistence, that was obsession, and it scared even a person as indifferent as himself. Every corner he turned her mouth would open, proclaiming he had gone the wrong way. He'd respond with a muffled 'I don't care' for the first few times but eventually he learned to ignore her completely. Hibari wondered if she had a mental disability.

Once the campus was in their line of sight, Kurara learned her place and shut her mouth. There weren't many people around, just a few students cramming for assessments and exams, and your usual employees. Hibari, not wanting to be noticed, quickened his pace, and because he was substantially taller than Kurara she had an even harder time catching up. By the time they reached the last step, she was completely out of breath.

She followed the Dean into his secret lair, a place that she was proud to know of – the music room. Hibari found his things and started to shamelessly take his sweater off.

Kurara's eyes popped out like nerf darts. "W-W-What are you doing?" she stammered, stealing a glance while she was at it.

"Changing." Hibari said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"In front of me?"

"Nobody told you to look," he gave a sly smirk as he slipped into a white shirt and began buttoning it up. Kurara turned around with a red-stained face, the image of his perfectly toned body was draped across her eyes. Embarrassingly enough, she had never seen a young man's bare torso in her life. She grew up so sheltered that boys her age were now considered an entirely different species.

"Why are you still here?" Hibari picked up his belongings and stared at her through half-lidded eyes.

"Just…keeping you company?"

How wonderful, he loathed company, almost as much as he loathed clingy women. Hibari started to leave, and to his dismay Kurara decided to continue tagging along. She was seriously getting on his nerves.

They walked for a bit, metres apart, without uttering a single word. It was only until he stepped within the science zone did she stop in her tracks and ask, "Why did we walk all the way here?"

Hibari being the prudent asshole he was, knew since the day he saw Rokudo Mukuro attack Kurara that she had developed a fear for the scientist. It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of her. Hibari didn't stop to wait.

"Did you expect me to stand on a crowded public vehicle full of mangy herbivores and ride home?" he said irritably.

"Oh, I guess you'd have a car."

"…" Hibari was disappearing out of sight, and for some reason heading inside the science buildings. Kurara took a short moment to consider, should she keep pursuing Mori or risk walking into the den of a sexual predator? For most people that was an easy question, but 'most people' didn't understand the extent of her feelings for Hibari. She knew that just by having him in her flat was a dream come true, and if she weren't so honest and lacking in the confidence field she probably would have attacked him in the middle of the night. Then she remembered the promise she'd made with Bianchi, that she'd never step foot on science property again.

By the time she had made up her mind, Hibari was gone. She ran after him and pushed through the doors. Hopefully Mukuro wasn't so hardworking that he'd be around on a Saturday, because the moment she stepped in her heart began racing. Kurara wondered why Hibari had to come through here to get to his car, she thought he hated Mukuro? She probed around the building, careful to run into a certain lecher."Hibari?" she called, but she hardly expected a reply even if he heard. The lights were dim as usual, and through the windows every room was pitch black. She felt uneasy, it was like walking around a mental hospital – a ticking time-bomb.

She tried once more, "Hibari!" and for a moment she thought he actually responded. Kurara hastily followed the sound, turning a corner and stopping outside one of the laboratories. She peered inside – the lights were on. She asked herself, now why would Hibari be in such a place? It had to be a professor or a student.

Thump.

"Ku—ah!" cried a voice from inside.

Ku? Kurara? She wondered if someone was calling her name, it sounded like a girl's voice though so it couldn't possibly be Hibari. She crept alongside the row of windows to see if anyone was there.

"Nnn…" moans were heard not too far away. Kurara pressed her face against the last window and squinted through the tinted glass. At first it seemed as lifeless as before: the benches were squeaky clean, the taps weren't leaking, the cabinets were closed and lab coats were piled to the side, but when she looked closer she was almost certain she saw a woman's leg.

"Ah! Muku…ro…"

Upon realising what was going on, her face flushed an innocent red. She immediately moved away from the glass and attempted to make a run for it, but her sudden rigidness caused her to trip on her own two feet and slam head first into a wall, "UGH!" she toppled to the ground holding her forehead in pain. Her eyes started to tear, and before she knew it, Mukuro had stormed out of the laboratory and was now looking breathlessly at her. His hair was in a mess and his open shirt left his fine chest exposed. He was sweating, and to Kurara's embarrassment his fly was undone. The scene left her mortified, and the throbbing pain in her head wasn't helping.

A girl that appeared in her early twenties teetered behind Mukuro with an aroused, lustful smile. Her blouse was all over the place, she held onto Mukuro's arm with eagerness, "Just ignore her~"

"Get out," he ordered.

Both Kurara and the girl looked at him with surprise.

"Who exactly was that directed towards?" she asked.

"I've no interest in you anymore, go home."

"But!" Mukuro grabbed her arm and almost threw her across the floor. She managed to regain her balance before hitting colliding to the ground, her eyes looked anxiously towards him. "I-I still get to see you right?"

"If you behave, then we'll see," he said with a unpleasant smirk, and she nodded fervently without even questioning him. Did it not mean anything that the man just threw her across the floor? She scurried away with a huge grin on her face, adjusting her skirt as she left. Mukuro turned to glare at Kurara, who's forehead was now beginning to bruise, but he hardly noticed through all the redness on her face. She wondered what would happen now, whether he even noticed it was her through the dim lighting and casual clothing. It was then she regretted having such memorable hair. Wanting uniqueness came a price.

Suddenly, to Kurara's horror, Mukuro's eyes were blazing with a murderous intent. He was looking directly at her, licking his lips as if this was the moment he'd always been waiting for.

"S-Stop!" Kurara cried out in a desperate attempt to save herself, "Wasn't yesterday enough?"

Mukuro grabbed her by the neck and lifted her to her feet. He slammed her against the wall and began exerting pressure on his grip. Kurara's eyes opened in horrible shock, she tried uselessly to pry his hands away from her neck. All of a sudden her life was in danger, Mukuro was trying to strangle her and his eyes showed no remorse – he would do it. She was suffocating, she felt her blood being drained. It hurt so much. He moved his face closer to hers and chuckled fanatically, "What does it feel like, with death holding a knife at your throat?"

Kurara retched, he voice choking under his hold.

"Oh dear, you can't die just yet. I'm having so much fun!" he loosened his grasp and watched her frantically inhale as much air as she could, "Look at you, pathetically clinging onto dear life!"

She whimpered, "I'm…scared…please don't…kill…"

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't? You saw me that day didn't you? I can't let a nosy rat run around free."

"I promise…I won't…tell…" Mukuro let go of her, letting her slump to the floor while coughing in pain. Once the feeling had subsided, the hand that caressed her jaw rendered her frozen stiff. She was terrified at what else he was capable of. _Why her?_ she asked, body beginning to shake.

"I swear I won't tell! I-I'll do anything!"

Mukuro knelt down and tugged the collar of her black shirt. His breath tickled her skin as he said amusedly, "You're a virgin…aren't you?"

Fear pierced her all over. She couldn't let that happen. Now she understood why Bianchi claimed he was capable of things worse than death.

"Kufufu. I suspected as much, a plain girl like you, but don't worry you'd do fine—" Kurara hammered her forehead into his with full force. He toppled backwards and cursed out loud. She saw an opening and leaped over his fallen body while stumbling forward to run away. Kurara didn't stop to look back, she knew he would be chasing her regardless. She looked around for an exit of some sort, but found none.

"How exciting!" came that dreaded voice not far from her.

"S-Shit!" she spat, diving into a dark classroom. She crawled into a corner, concealed by a few tables stacked together. Unluckily, the door slammed shut, which gave her position away. Mukuro's footsteps became clearer and clearer, and it wasn't long before his dark silhouette cast a shadow through the windows. Kurara was clenching her shivering right arm so tightly that her fingernails were digging into her skin.

"Kura-chan, are you in here?" the diabolical man chimed, tapping on the window.

Before she knew it, tears were overflowing down her cheeks. She clenched her teeth together, unsure of her fate. She heard the doorknob turn.

"Mukuro!" called an unfamiliar voice.

The Dean jerked his hand away. Uneven footsteps came closer. "Mukuro what are you doing here on a Saturday? Are all Italian's this hard working?"

"…"

"Oh well I guess you are competing with Hibari Kyoya, no surprise there. But hey, why don't you take a break and join me for a drink, I just found my car keys!"

Not a word was spoken for a short moment as he considered.

"Sure, why not?" replied Mukuro's voice, it sent chills down Kurara's spine. She heard the unknown man and her chaser walk away as if nothing had happened. For the second time in her life, she escaped the wrath of the devil himself.

"Hey, why is your forehead swelling?"

"Hmm, I hit my head against the side of a door."

"That's not like you at all."

"It really isn't, kufufu…"


	8. Acquaintances

Happy New Year! (I realised I'm about two weeks late on this) What were your New Year's resolutions? Mine is to STOP ANGSTING OVER ITACHI AND SASUKE'S SCREWED UP LIVES, and aside from that to also be more diligent and hardworking to achieve my goals. Also, update more regularly (of course, knowing me and my bad habits…).

I am so so so so so so sorry about the short update, but I'm going overseas for a short while and I didn't want people thinking I had writer's block again. No this chapter was not rushed, it was just finished at an earlier point in the story than expected. I'll update in about 3 weeks, will be writing and gathering inspiration while on my holiday.

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**Acquaintances**

_Colours that blur vision and precision, that's what I strive to avoid._

Hibari parked his blood red motorcycle right outside the gates of his enormous property. He removed his helmet and dropped it in his butler's hands, barely acknowledging his presence.

"Kyo-san, we couldn't reach you last night," Kusakabe said, hoping he didn't sound too meddlesome. Hibari glared at him, which was his cue to shut up and leave him be. Kusakabe took the motorbike by the handles and strolled away, sensing his master was not in the very best mood.

When Hibari was finally in his room, he dropped his guitar on the tatami and collapsed to the floor with a weary sigh. He was completely drained; ever since the world had found out his online identity was linked to the university, his short-lived, peaceful life was shattered in an instant. Meeting a mediocre girl that was obsessed with him worn him out even more, and since she was so eager to be involved in his world, he had almost no time to himself. Hibari wondered if he was having a midlife crisis, but he was still too young for that. Of course, peace was not something he expected to be permanent, he had priorities before his comfort – priorities that had been scheduled for the rest of his life until they were accomplished. For a moment he'd forgotten about them, and he blamed it on the foolish janitor, but as his eyes trailed to the wall in front of him he saw his old ebony Gibson hanging off a hook. Just like a hole in the wall, the guitar seemed to glare at him in an odd, eerie fashion, a condescending stare that was almost screaming at him to get his act together, not even his bass guitar sitting in the corner made any effort to save him. Hibari frowned, he wanted to look away but his Gibson wouldn't let him. He knew it was trying to remind him of everything that went on in his world: pain, pain and more pain. His past, his present and future were grapevines wrapped around his delicate ankles and gentle wrists – soon to be bloodstained and rid of vengeful impulses. What he would do to get rid of these feelings...but a normal life was already out of reach, much too far for the naked eye to see.

"Tch." He spat, hate clouding his mind. He reached over and unhooked the Gibson from the wall, fingers trailing down the spine. Music was a part of him that he once found relieving – too bad it had now become a thorn in his existence. Whatever the case was, there was only one person to blame for his current fractured self: a vile blond man who ruined everything. He was the one that showed Hibari the nadir of despair, and for that Hibari was keen on devoting his life to destroying him with death as a beautiful option. He wondered why he ever stalled.

Positioning the instrument on his lap, he began strumming bleak baby tunes. He listened for the whispering sounds, his old music was dead and gone, only to be drowned by dark melodies that for some reason – people loved.

….

…..

….

One of those people being Kurara, who was lying on her stomach with a laptop before her. Hibari's (Namimori02345) music was on full blast and she had her face buried in her arms while trying to stomach everything that had just happened hours ago.

Mukuro's lethal smile and his mismatched eyes were lodged into her head. She was shaking, even the music was having trouble soothing her. She was still in shock and disbelief that he had tried to strangle her and then rape her – even that was going too far for revenge (to think he was capable of more). The thought of his dirty fingers stroking the side of her face, nothing could shake this disgusting feeling off.

Kurara's phone began to ring, she jumped at the sound thinking it could be Mukuro. She left it to ring a couple of times before finally picking up. She sighed with relief, the voice on the other end settled her heart.

"Mum, didn't think you'd be calling so soon. Yeah I'm good, still getting used to things. Hmm, I should be fine on my own now you can stop sending money. No really it's fine, my job pays pretty well and besides the rent is cheap. Err...community college is great. Friends? I've made a few. They're all very nice here don't worry, I promise I've made the right decision. How's dad? Really? Tell him I miss his cooking. Haha." Kurara lay on her side and held her phone closer to her ear, feeling more homesick than ever. She made idle chatter for as long as she could, before her mother declared herself exhausted and out of words. Kurara reluctantly said her goodbyes and hung up. She wondered why there was no sense of guilt after lying the entire time to her own mother, perhaps it would sink in later, for now she just wanted some reassurance that her life in Namimori was going to get better. Who could she possibly rely on to keep Mukuro away? Bianchi was too fragile around him, whatever the reason was, and Shamal wasn't exactly on the best terms with Kurara so it'd seem strange to ask him. The only other people she knew in this town was the landlady and her son (she doubt he was a good asset), Hibari and then Dino. She supposed she could take a gamble and ask one of them…Hibari did say something about owing her.

Her stomach began to grumble and all of a sudden any thoughts of Mukuro disappeared in a flash. She then remembered from today onwards her financial support would be cut off. Kurara turned on her back to face the ceiling, she hardly had any mental strength to worry about anything anymore.

"I wish Hibari would like me faster and get this over with," she muttered longingly, still holding onto her nonsensical beliefs. She really thought things would turn out perfectly, her idol – a cold and uncaring man – would love her for the way she was and treat her like a bird's injured wing every moment they were together. It was her lifelong dream and expectation, for he was the only man she had ever had a crush on.

Her stomach grumbled again, and this time she got to her feet, grabbed her wallet and left to find food.

It was her first time going to the busier streets of Namimori since moving here. For most of her shopping she went to the local convenience store for her groceries, and now that she had to be much more careful with her spending she probably had to resort to eating natto and pickled lettuce every day. Kurara stood outside a simple restaurant and opened her wallet, she counted the number of bills she had and muttered, "this is the last time I'll be able to eat good food so I might as well make the most of it." She pocketed her wallet again and went inside.

"Welcome! Take a seat anywhere you'd like!" Kurara sat in a remote corner where she'd be unnoticed, that was of course until she heard a bunch of rowdy kids burst into the restaurant and take the round table beside her. She sighed, then told the waitress to come back. "I'll just have the curry and rice, make it quick," Kurara urged, wanting to finish and leave as soon as possible. She tried to do a little daydreaming but the people beside her were much too noisy.

"And then you know what he did? He ran into a pole!"

A high pitchy voice burst into guffaws, "I didn't think you were that thick!"

"S-Shut up!"

Kurara groaned, why of all places did they choose here to mingle? She wished she had an mp3 of some sort to block their extravagant voices out of her head, but she never thought to save up for one.

"Masao-san?" called someone. Kurara looked to see who it was, Tsuna and Kyoko were looking directly at her from the round table, apparently the raucous group of friends were theirs.

"Hello…" Kurara said awkwardly.


	9. Discover

Shoutouts: Fire Princess21, Still too lazy to log In, leogirl231, Genuinely-Unique, thearistocrat, rero-chan, Reiya Sumeragi, kawaiinekochan16, caelumnoctis23, PancakeRave, rinnie123, Pinkage, Chibari-Nii

No I'm not dead! I'm alive and kicking, just completely buried in assessments…if I ever set a deadline for a new chapter please don't get your hopes up, I'm probably the world's biggest procrastinator. So I bought my own electric guitar, and I've taken up psychology as one of my courses in uni…I feel like I'm being consumed by my own fanfiction. Nah. But I am being consumed by The Hunger Games trilogy.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**Discover**

They were nice people, Tsuna, Kyoko and their group of friends. Kurara felt kind of sad knowing she had missed out on having her own group of lifelong friends.

They all introduced themselves, invited her to join them for dinner, and the next thing she knew they took her in like a stray cat. Apart from daydreaming about her future with Hibari, along with worrying about Mukuro's next move, she had nothing else better to do, so why not enjoy her youth while she could. Even Tsuna, who Kurara initially thought was an awkward and friendless person, seemed to be much louder and social.

"Ku—I mean Masao, did you manage to find your classes alright?" Tsuna asked, seeming genuine this time. Kurara looked at him clueless. "You know, first day."

"Oh. OH. Yes I found my way but I wasn't looking for any classes," Kurara said, forgetting her job was rather degrading.

"Right, you must've just come a day early for a campus tour…"

"That's right," she lied.

Big mistake. Tsuna's most approachable-looking friend had a sudden epiphany. "Hey, aren't you that new janitor that all the girls have been talking about?"

She froze, stuttering quickly, "Y-You must be mistaking me for somebody else."

"No I'm sure, they told me she had pink hair."

"It's peach actually—I mean plenty of girls our age have crazy colours ahaha…"

"Actually, you were wearing the janitor's uniform when I first saw you!" Kyoko added, quite unnecessarily. Kurara thought she was meant to be the good one.

"I was just substituting for someone."

The one with a delinquent appearance then decided to hit a nail in Kurara's head, "Who'd believe such an obvious lie, nothing wrong with being a little too stupid to get into univ—" not before Haru interrupted angrily and hit Gokudera on the head. He shut up almost immediately.

"I'm sure she has her reasons, why don't we drop it!" Haru cried, she seemed offended _for _Kurara. Haru's outburst seemed to work, everybody quietened down, but what caught Kurara's attention was Gokudera's hurt expression. So that's how it was, he had a thing for Haru.

"It's fine, I'm a janitor. Might as well put it out there, I'm not butt-hurt or anything about it. I just moved here from Tokyo and Namimori U just happened to be nearby so I thought getting a job there would be most convenient." Although it was still far from the truth, it was at least only a half lie.

It seemed to work as everyone moved on with idle chatter and started asking Kurara about her life in Tokyo. She'd never really been asked to talk about herself – apart from job interviews and the usual – so she felt as if she was boasting about her not-so-interesting past. Sometimes she would get excited, and blabber on for a full two minutes which was pretty long for a quiet girl like herself. But then she would worry that she was boring them, and that they were judging her as an odd girl that wasn't worth their time, so she would stop mid-sentence and change the subject. In actual fact, they were very nice people (Gokudera was probably an exception) and they kept asking her questions and edging her to continue. For once in Kurara's life, she felt as if people enjoyed her company.

Time was lost, and before Kurara knew, she had made her first few friends since…who knows? She always categorised herself as a pure introvert, which was also her excuse for feeling awkward in social situations, but now she knew it was probably her insecurities that kept her from stepping outside her box.

Tsuna and the others slowly departed one by one as the hours moved on, until it was only the two of them alone, ready to head off the same direction. Their second time travelling together was much less uncomfortable than the first. They talked, at times they laughed, and there were even moments of silence, but everything came on the same level for the two of them in the end. Kurara finally parted ways with him once he left the elevator two levels before her and she was finally at peace when she lay on the floor beside her computer. To think her day began so terribly yet ended so wonderfully, maybe tomorrow would be even better. What could go wrong on a Sunday?

…..

….

…..

Nothing yet according to the weather reports on the internet, it was going to be all sunshine and blue skies. She had Nami—actually _Hibari's_ music on blast and was browsing for a new job since he parents now cut off their financial support. Two jobs wasn't going to be too bad, she'd done it before, and to make it easier she was looking for something she was familiar with, like flower arranging or fast food. Actually this one didn't look to bad, she thought. She would be stuck with another cleaning job but the pay was quite nice and that was all that mattered. Apparently it was a cleaning company that mainly worked for the rich, no wonder rates were abnormally high, but that meant service with an abnormally large smile.

She called them, and they immediately arranged for a job interview in an hour. Kurara could tell they were desperate for staff, so this was probably going to be an easy grab. She poked around her box of unpacked clothes for her blouse and black skirt that had become her set uniform for every job interview she had to suffer through. It had worked in numerous occasions and failed in some, so it was far from being a lucky outfit – it was just something of personal significance.

The moment she stepped into the over-the-top, grand office, she knew there was going to be some major work cut out for her. The lady conducting the interview was very old fashion, more than a cleaning job this seemed like a company full of maids. She was right to guess that a majority of their clients were rich and powerful, because the lady in charge was utterly determined on drilling the idea of 'service with an exaggerated amount of niceness' in Kurara's head. She was told never to talk back, never to work overtime, never to work undertime, never to mingle with the clients, never to probe through their stuff, never to steal, never to question, never to over-compliment and especially never to get in their way. Yes it was basic stuff, but the fact she also put a great amount of emphasis on acting classy and polite, and always addressing the clients as 'master' or 'milady' gave her the impression she was going to have to put up with a lot of shit.

"Now let me tell you I don't do this every day. If we weren't so flooded with clients I doubt I'd ever give an uneducated lady like yourself this job. Our customers are top-notch, upper-class and from highly prestigious families, should you ruin your one opportunity…that's not even an option."

She just had to clean. Kurara had been doing it for years, how hard could it be? She cleans for an entire campus for god's sake, and what educated lady would want to be a cleaner anyway?

"Since you're not available weekday afternoons," the lady wrinkled her noise scornfully at Kurara like it was her fault she had another job, "You'll take the morning shifts on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for Mr Ken. Then on Saturday you'll take the afternoon shift for Mr Hibari—hold on that's not right you're rostered for Mr Shibata."

"Excuse me, did you say Hibari?"

"I said Mr Shibata."

"I meant before that, you said Hibari didn't you?"

"And what if I did? That's none of your business. You're rostered for Mr Shibata. No complaints. I want you here first thing in the morning for a quick briefing before your first session."

Kurara meekly nodded, trying to brush his name away. There were plenty of people with the last name Hibari, but how many of them were pompous enough to hire overpriced cleaners? Did that mean Hibari was loaded with cash? Though it shouldn't surprise her, he was a Dean, lecturer, clinical psychologist and noted psychologist, and money doesn't come in small doses when you've achieved that much at such a young age (not to mention he was also a MyTube partner). But if this were the case, she had to be scheduled to clean for him, she just HAD TO. This was such a great opportunity to learn more about him without having to trespass illegally. No matter, she would figure something out by Monday morning, perhaps she could try crying and begging for extra shifts on Saturdays.

Daytime still lingered, at least for the next half day, so Kurara decided she deserved one last round of shopping and free time before her life became hectic. The cash that was stuffed inside her tiny purse was from her parent's final deposit of financial support. She was going to splurge every last cent and she meant it quite literally.

She went down town and found the biggest mall in Namimori and started from there. Kurara wasn't really the biggest clothes shopper, she preferred to loiter around music, video and book stores, but it wouldn't hurt to add new additions to her limited wardrobe – just this once. When she was still in middle school, there was a time when her and her small group of friends would park themselves outside an adorable boutique. The inside was coated with every pink you could imagine, and their collection consisted of frills, laces, animals and candy. Kurara was the only one that scrunched her nose whenever she looked inside. It wasn't that she didn't like girly fashion, it was just that the price tags were lethal, and she was really anal about spending money. Her friends thought she was just being a tomboy. Nevertheless, she's lost contact with every one of them.

And so inside the mall, she found herself one of those severely girly boutiques and forced herself to blur out the prices. It wasn't easy at first, but eventually she found herself holding up a midnight blue baby doll dress with cap sleeves. It certainly didn't look like it belonged to this store, but something about this dress kept her staring at it for eternity.

"Miss that would look adorable on you!" cried a voice that startled Kurara from behind. It was a shop assistant, and after a short five minutes of complimenting and coaxing, Kurara finally gave in and bought the dress. She held it timidly in an overdecorated, pink bag they had given her. Never in her life had she bought a dress for herself. The few dresses she owned were all handpicked by her mother. She was satisfied with the purchase, even if it did steal half of the cash she had on hand, there was this sense of achievement of having a dress she could now call her favourite – as stupid as that sounded.

She left the boutique with a blush across her cheeks. Now she could spend on the usual things, and she'd also have to leave some money for grocery shopping. Kurara spotted a bookstore right in front, and just as she was about to head inside the most unexpected thing happened. As if she hadn't seen enough of him, Hibari came out with a book in one hand and a phone in his other, the latter pressed against his ear. He looked pissed (when did he ever not), and was walking away quickly. Kurara's immediate instinct was to follow him out the mall. Actually followed wasn't the right word – she was chasing him at full speed. She couldn't quite catch what he was hissing through his phone, but it looked like the direction they were headed for was to whoever was on the other end of the line. Hibari was striding effortlessly through the string of crowds, whilst Kurara had trouble keeping herself off the concrete ground. She hugged the flamboyant bag with her dress, making sure not to lose it, but when she finally caught up with Hibari, she dropped the bag as if it meant nothing.

"No way…" she muttered, gobsmacked and at loss for words. She had followed him a long way, a very, very, very long way. How did she know this? Because she was standing right in the middle of the unknown, a place she had never set foot in since the day she was born. Rowdy but discreet, it was the red-light district of Namimori.

These places were alien to her, and it wasn't like Tokyo didn't have its own collection of red-light's, but the whole country knew Namimori had the worst reputation. It had something to do with it being the holiday base for mafia from all around the world to congest. Why Namimori? That was a question she'd like answered, but whatever the case may be, she did not want to be here. This city seemed to have extreme upsides and downsides.

Back to the situation, Kurara had just digested what happened. Hibari was hurrying inside a brothel, and frankly, she wanted no part of whatever business he had inside. If the reason he was being snappy on the phone was because he was angry with his last purchase, then Kurara wished she never followed him in the first place. Her first reaction was disappointment, followed by anger and betrayal, but then she thought: _who am I to judge?_ It was his life, she had nothing to do with him (yet), and he was – in the end – a healthy young man. It's just…she didn't expect Hibari to _be _like every other male specimen, he was meant to be her prince charming. She bit her tongue and chewed on it for a while, standing outside a brothel, her feelings in a hot mess.

"Hey cutie," whispered a jumbled voice. Kurara whipped around, afraid she was about to be kidnapped and sold, given the same fate as the many girls inside the building before her. It was a young man, late twenties, his face frail and sallow. There was a handsome face behind the unshaven stubble and wild hair, Kurara guessed this is what people called a gigolo. "I'll give you a good rate."

Kurara shook her head, turned on her heel and ran off in the opposite direction.

"Stupid bitch," the tipsy gigolo muttered. He picked up Kurara's forgotten bag and peered inside of it, "Pretty dress for such an ugly girl, looks expensive." Feeling the hem and rubbing the material, he decided he would keep it and sell it to his next client for an outrageous price, until someone snatched it from his hands.

"HEY give that back—" he took a fist to the face and he fell on his rear. He felt his shirt tug tightly around his neck, but not enough to choke him. He was elevated off the ground, where he met eye to eye with dull-grey irises.

"Who was that girl?" With eyes like a hawk, Hibari snarled.

"Jesus, I don't know…" he took another punch to the face. "I-I really don't know! Honest!" but the unchanging expression of Hibari told him his face would become a pulp if he didn't give some useful answers soon. "She was skinny, had weird pink-orange hair and seemed a bit out of it!"

Hibari let go of him. He flexed his fingers, then picked up the pink bag again. The owner would be looking for it, he assumed, so why not return it to her tomorrow? He was sure she would be ecstatic to see it again, especially in his hands.


	10. Ignorance

Shoutouts: Chibari-Nii, Genuinely-Unique, kawaiinekochan16, ShareBearTheDeathBear, caelumnoctis23, Fire Princess21.

Happy Easter! Oh yeah if anyone has any sentimental songs they could recommend please do :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**Ignorance**

Kurara didn't know how she was going to face the day. The thought still made her uncomfortable, even if she had tried to sleep it off last night. Hibari walking into a brothel – it was something she'd never expect. Did he do this regularly? How many women…she had to stop, this was making her feel depressed, she had a long morning to get through with her new job and all.

She didn't exactly have the most peaceful sleep with what livid nightmares about Mukuro coming after her, so the early morning briefing barely got into her head. The Madam (the uptight lady-boss that hired her) seemed to enjoy picking on Kurara, even scolding her about the most trivial things and she hadn't even started working yet. The uniform was a white shirt with blue checkered overalls, they fit quite snugly and she liked it better than he janitor's outfit. Only when her carpool had arrived outside the company building was she relieved of Madam's nagging. Luckily her driver wasn't very talkative, he was one of _those_ people that liked to mind their own business.

When they'd arrived at the one called _Mr Ken_'s overpriced manor, Kurara tried not to gape at the amount of shrubbery and flowers sealing the huge property in. The carpool was directed to the main entrance where two guards stood. They were stopped, and Kurara had to get out of the car and follow a butler down the stone-tiled walkway.

"Why exactly does your master need a cleaner when he has a butler and I assume three or four maids?" Kurara asked prudently.

"Are you new?" asked the butler, cocking an eyebrow.

"First day."

"The company you work for is like an expensive brand, the wealthy don't exactly need it but they'd rather have it for reputation's sake. It's like owning a Mercedes even though you don't have a driver's license."

"That's stupid," Kurara muttered.

"Welcome to the rich world, you'll get used to it soon enough," the butler chuckled, leading her up the front steps and pushing open the oak-wood double doors for her to go in. It was crazy how big a house could get, everything was so grand she just about stopped caring halfway through the mansion.

There was very little for her to do since the maids pretty much scrubbed the place clean every day, just the odd corners, under beds and sofas, she was practically hunting for places to clean. Kurara was more tired from running around the place looking for a job to do than actually doing her job, and about an hour later she was dismissed by the same butler that had catered to her. It was the most uneventful job she had ever done in her life, but whatever, she was getting money for doing nothing.

The fun started on her way to the university, when Kurara had got off the bus and was walking her way to the main gate, she heard the loud _BRRM_ of an engine and tires squealing to a halt beside her. She jumped at the sight of a black motorcycle and a man riding it with a red helmet concealing his face.

"Get on." He said bluntly. Kurara just stood there warily, how stupid did he think she was? But there was something strangely familiar about his icy voice. He sighed, and lifted the visor revealing dark, irritated eyes.

"Hibari?" she cried.

"Quiet," he growled. He hastily grabbed her by the arm and pulled her onto the bike, and without notice, he rode off at full speed and Kurara had to clumsily wrap her arms around his waist to stop herself from flying off. She felt Hibari flinch at her touch. Kurara wondered if anyone had seen them.

They swerved a corner and drove into a secluded parking lot at the west side of the campus. It was directly lodged at the bottom floor of the building Kurara hated going near the most – the one where all the bad things had happened. The parking lot itself was as gloomy as the science corridors and she now knew why Hibari had chosen this place for where he parked his motorbike, no fan girls would even think of looking here. Hibari removed his helmet and peeled her arms off like she was some kind of insect. He got off his bike and tugged her along, throwing her to the ground.

"Is this yours?" he spat, snatching a plastic bag that was hanging from the handle of his bike and emptying the contents by her feet. Out came a pink bag followed by a dress that spilled onto the floor. Her first reaction was to snatch it off the floor and hold it to her chest, she felt strangely protective of it. Then it struck her she had just made a wrong move, now Hibari was certain she had been spying on him last night. "I-It's not what it seems, I swear I have my reasons. I was just curious, it's not like I was stalking you or anything. I-It was just harmless curiosity I promise! You know that feeling when you just—"

"If it happens again I swear it, I'll _kill_ you." Hibari snarled.

Kurara shuddered, did he mean what he said? But how could anyone have such sure intentions of taking a human life, he must be bluffing. She courageously looked up, then gasped. There was a potent hate in his eyes that threatened to leap out and claw her across the face, but it wasn't reaching out to her, it stretched far beyond her lowly self. Kurara had seen this look once before when she was with Dino. For a fleeting moment she truly believed Hibari wanted to destroy whoever or whatever this hate was directed towards.

"I'm sorry, I-I don't know what to say."

He roughly grabbed her arm and she flinched at his vice grip. It hurt. She shied away in half terror and half humiliation. He said in a low, menacing voice, "Isn't it enough I've let you watch me play? From now on stay out of my business, I don't care about your petty feelings so don't hope for anything more than unkindness."

Kurara's cheeks turned red, the fact he knew about how she felt about him caught her by surprised, "But Hibari how—"

"Does it matter how? It's disgusting, keep your distance if you have to, I don't have time to babysit you and your pathetic idealisms. Let me tell you straight, you're a nuisance, and even if you chase me for the rest of your lowly life, I will _never _resort to such weakness ."

"I'm sorry."

"Shut up!" his voice rose.

She was at a loss for words.

His words were nothing but horrible, snide threats. There was not an ounce of sympathy, empathy or guilt. "The only reason your throat is still intact is because I had a debt to repay. You helped me, so now I've helped you by sparing you the agony of a slow and painful death. From now on, stay out of my sight, and if you dare to speak a word about my identity I promise you won't see the light of another day." Hibari started the engine of his bike again, screaming every intention of skipping out on work today, only because he _could_. He mounted his bike and put his helmet back on. He said his last words before riding off, "And if you must know what I was doing last night" he pulled his visor over his eyes "I killed someone."

"You're lying!" Kurara whimpered. He merely gave her a smirk, neither proving nor disproving her remark.

The figure of Hibari on a motorbike disappeared before Kurara's eyes before she could process everything that he'd said and done. She thought she was going to go insane. One moment things would be fine and dandy, the next her world would be turned upside-down. Her life in Namimori was bipolar, she couldn't even tell what was real or not real anymore.

"He's lying," she repeated in a small whisper, a feeling of emptiness consumed her whole, "that really hurt."

The next thing she knew, she was running to the infirmary, even ignoring the fact she'd pushed passed Mukuro on the way and not long after, landed in Bianchi's comforting arms. She felt weak and utterly broken, so she let herself cry. Bianchi soothed her with reassuring words, even if she had no idea why Kurara was acting this way.

"He -hic- completely shut me down!" Kurara sobbed, "It hurts Bianchi, it hurts to love someone like that!"

"It's okay Kura, calm down and tell me what happened," Bianchi cooed.

So Kurara did, she told Bianchi the exact words Hibari had said in the most unflattering fashion ever. Her words were jumbled, her emotional state was just too unstable for her to say anything without bursting into tears again. She was angry, devastated, shocked and humiliated all at once, and if Bianchi wasn't so understanding, a stranger would have run away and called the police. Shamal didn't even bother stepping out of his office to check what was going on.

"What did I do to deserve any of this?"Kurara screamed, and for a second she paused and felt herself go numb. She started shaking violently.

"Kura?" Bianchi asked worriedly.

"W-Why do I feel so strange? I-I've never felt like this before…"

"You're having a mental breakdown, have you never experienced this before?"

"Never," Kurara answered, and felt herself slip into unconsciousness.

Bianchi wrote her off as too ill to work for the day and let her rest in one of the beds until she woke. Kurara stirred in her sleep, often calling out for her parents or mumbling for Hibari to forgive her. What Bianchi saw was not a determined girl sleeping her pain off, but a pitiful idealist that made the wrong decisions. She stroked Kurara's peach coloured hair and made a sympathetic face. What would become of her, if she kept on pursuing Hibari the way she was? Surely she would know by now, that he wasn't the gallant prince charming that everyone expected Mori to be. Kurara was still a little girl ignorant of the world's woes, and Bianchi wanted to preserve that. She now realised how wrong she was for promising to help Kurara with her quest for love, what she really needed to do was to guide her to a new path with a promising future. "Oh Kura, why him of all people."

…

…..

…..

Kurara woke up with red, puffy eyes. The left side of her hip was aching from when Hibari had thrown her to the ground. She could feel the bloody grazes she had gotten starting to sting again. Her vision was at first a blur, but started to clear up pretty quick. What time was it? How long had she been asleep? She sat up on the bed and looked, expecting to see Bianchi by her side, but it wasn't her sitting on that chair. It was Mukuro, fiddling around with her blue dress. Blinking perplexedly, she thought it was a dream, but then she pinched herself (a little too hard) and let out a cry and realised this was real.

"You're awake," he smiled cunningly and lifted up her dress, "This is very pretty, is it yours?"

"Why are you here?" Kurara asked, panicking.

He ignored her, "It would look perfect on Chrome."

"Where's Bianchi?"

"Oh who knows, out to buy something? I saw the lights on so I came in to check, I figured I couldn't let a poor lovesick girl all alone."

Kurara wondered if she should make a run for it. The door was closed but if she was just fast enough—

"Don't bother, you're hardly in the right state to be making bold escape plans." Mukuro put her dress back inside the bag and turned to face her. Kurara froze. One bad thing after another. "So you gave me a nasty bruise earlier today, and another one not long before that." Kurara's eyes forced their way to the purple mark above his eyebrow, his bangs were barely covering it. She had a sudden flashback of the terrifying moment when Mukuro had tried to choke her to death, and that bruise on his forehead was a reminder of her reckless attempt at escaping. She paled.

"Kufufu…you don't look too good," he said, then leaned back in his chair, "is it because you were shut down by Hibari Kyoya?"

"…" Kurara couldn't say a word.

"Crash and burn, they say. He was never particularly good at saying things nicely, you were no exception. I supposed you think your life is in shambles now, you probably feel as if the world is ending."

"And what if I do?" Kurara spat, and regretted it immediately after.

Mukuro chuckled and shook his head as if he pitied her. Kurara lowered her head, too much of a coward to say anything else. "You, a naïve little girl who thinks your life is a terrible mess, knows nothing. You're too spoilt to understand the likes of Hibari Kyoya."

"_What do you know about him?"_ Kurara thought bitterly.

"I know more than you," he said, reading her like an open book. She couldn't deny it. Mukuro had been around Hibari for longer than she had, and she really did know almost nothing about Hibari apart from the fact he was Mori. Maybe Mukuro knew as well. "Look at your eyes, you must've been crying all day. Tell me, what does it feel like, being rejected by the one you claim to love?"

"…"

"You want to avoid him from now on?"

"Yes." She felt herself begin to cry again.

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, "Is that all?"

That question hit a nerve. What did he mean by that? Bianchi was taking a rather long time to come back.

"Then you don't know what pain is. You don't love Hibari, you're just an foolish girl led by infatuation. How can you love a person when you don't even know who they are?"

"That's not true," she denied hesitantly, "it's not an infatuation."

"Ah, then you claim to know him?"

"I-I…I've followed his music for years."

"What does that prove?"

Nothing, really.

"See that's when your ignorance comes in," he mocked. "I'll tell you what rejection really is, it's when you know the person you care about the most in this entire world will _never _look at you in the same light, and you know how that feels? Like shit." Mukuro's voice began to rise, as if he was losing is composure, "then I'll tell you what _real_ pain is. It's when the one you love is gone forever! Thrown out of this world, stolen from you! And do you know how THAT feels? Torture by the means of unending misery!"

"I don't understand…"

"Of course you don't understand!" he cried almost hysterically. It made her jump. "You're pathetic really, I might not like Hibari Kyoya very much, but to an extent at least we can empathise with one another. We know loss, we know agony, but you, you with your petty teenage-girl problems have no idea what it means to be a victim of humanity and its bullshit!" Mukuro began to chuckle, and then he flung his head back in a fit of laughter. Kurara thought he had gone insane. She watched him helplessly.

"Kurara Masao," he suddenly stopped laughing and said, "You don't belong here, go home."


	11. Reflection

Shoutouts: Chibari-Nii, kawaiinekochan16, ShareBearTheDeathBear, princessofpancakes, caelumnoctis23, Fire Princess21, leogirl321, HiBiRdEpIc

So I went on fanfiction and was like WOW…new look?

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

**Reflection **

She was told to go home, but to what exactly? What kind of life was left for her back in Tokyo? One where she was lost, jobless and a burden to her family? She didn't want that, Mukuro was wrong, Hibari was wrong, they were all wrong! This was where she wanted to be, closest to Mori and beside his music. Within proximity where she'd be—hang on…why was she separating Mori and Hibari as if they were two different people?

The door opened, and Bianchi came in with a bag of goods in her arms. She set the bag down on the table and took out boxes of takeaway. "Sorry I went out to buy dinner, didn't think you would be up. Did anything happen while I was gone?"

Many things, actually. Mukuro came in and verbally abused her like he always did, except this time it actually sunk in like a knife. "I only just woke up," Kurara lied. She took the take-out box from Bianchi's hands and ate without another word. She wasn't sure whether she really was hungry or just trying to distract herself, but no matter how hard she tried Mukuro's words had left a deep impression.

Hibari's face starting seeping into her mind, what he'd done to her this morning and everything that preceded it. _They both knew loss and agony_, what did Mukuro mean by that? Was he implying that there was more to the man she thought she knew? Did it have something to do with the eerie claims Hibari had made about murdering someone? So many questions, so little answers. Life had become a game of snakes and ladders, she'd climb up a ladder and it would lead her closer to the truth, only to slide back down to square one courtesy of everyone around her in Namimori. She went back to asking herself why all of a sudden, Mori and Hibari seemed like two different people when really they were one and the same. Mori was who she came for, and Hibari was what she found. You'd think this was something to celebrate, but why did Kurara now feel like it was something to dread? That's right, there was so much more to this man – dark things (Mukuro had implied) that she was better off not knowing.

"I'm chasing fumes," she muttered.

"What was that?" Biachi asked.

"Nothing." Kurara put her chopsticks down and stared blankly at her food. "Hey Bianchi…?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think I'm wrong, for coming all the way to Namimori?"

Bianchi scrutinized her, wondering if it was a trick question. "I think you're stupid for doing it."

Ah, Kurara thought so. No surprise there. People would look down on her for such rash decisions, and this was probably what Tsuna and his friends would think of her. Mukuro was right about how small-scaled her petty problems were, she really was just a self-centered human being.

Bianchi continued, "You're stupid but at the same time I admire you."

Kurara looked confused by this statement, "What do you mean?"

"We make decisions everyday Kura. Stupid ones, the right ones and the wrong ones, but who's to say only one kind of decision should be made? Most people look to make the right decision, avoid the wrong ones and completely ignore the idiotic and rash ones. I admire the courage you had to take the foolish road, and look where it has led you."

"To complete chaos and destruction," Kurara said with dry humour.

"To a new beginning," the nurse corrected.

"I beg to differ. I'm still working a shitty job like I did back in Tokyo."

"Is it really that bad with Hibari around? What about myself? I heard you're getting along with Kyoko and her friends."

"…" she took a moment to think, it was true since moving to Tokyo her circle of…mutual acquaintances had increased quite significantly. Plus she did feel a tad bit more excitement in her life, and she was smiling more often. "I'm not convinced Bianchi. I feel like I'm here for all the wrong reasons," she felt Mukuro's exact words spill from her mouth, "H-How can I love a person when I don't even know who they are?"

"Simple, you get to _know _him."

"Huh?"

"I'll let you on a secret Kura. A few years before you came, I made a _wrong _decision."

"What was that?"

"I fell in love with Rokudo Mukuro, and I was very much like you, infatuated but blind. But even though I hate him now and possibly forever, I don't regret it, it was a lesson well learnt."

Mouth agape, Kurara stuttered, "B-Bianchi…"

"Don't blame him, he's a broken man. If only I got to know him before he dragged me along with him, though."

…

…..

….

From that talk onwards and after days and days of slow and painful days, Kurara had come to the conclusion she would postpone packing her bags and taking the next bullet train home and attempt to repatch her brittle relationship with Hibari. If things didn't work out, worst case scenario he would kill her. But she was done with doubts and constant streams of consciousness about how difficult her life was, she would take baby steps into Hibari's world whether it be good or bad. Truth be told, she had no idea what she was getting herself into, but if it meant snuffing out her unhealthy obsession with the man then why not?

The first action she took was begging to change shifts for her morning job. She found out Hibari really was a client and usually hired for weekend afternoons. Kurara's excuse was that she had taken up astrology classes (she wasn't even sure those existed) and had to change shifts. Madam had become sick of her weeks and weeks of persistence so she reluctantly gave in – but only recently. If they weren't short on staff this would've been an entirely different story. "You chose a fine time to inconvenience us" she'd gruffly said.

Kurara also decided it was time she stopped poking Hibari endlessly and start getting to know him like a normal person. As a result, she stopped watching his videos and left it as a reward for every level of progress she made in life. It was hard for her at first, but gradually she learnt to control the urges and waited patiently. Kurara saw less and less of Hibari, occasionally he would walk by though he would ignore her, and other times she'd see him talking to staff or students and observe from afar. It bothered her at first, but now she was somewhat used to it. If anything she felt it was a good way to clear her head and see him as a normal individual rather than a blinding superstar that tempted her inner fangirl.

For now, she was working her Tuesday shift as a janitor. Every one once in a while she'd bump into Mukuro, who was still in disbelief she hadn't caught the first train back to Tokyo the day after his taunting, but Kurara would ignore him as Hibari did to her and move along. She was sweeping rubbish outside the business buildings when someone she hadn't seen since day one came strolling out the automated doors. Dino immediately took notice of the young woman and greeted her fondly. Kurara waved back and thought she might as well strike up a conversation.

"Yo haven't seen you in a while, been okay?" Dino said in a friendly manner.

"A lot has happened since we last talked," Kurara replied truthfully.

He eyed her curiously, "You do look substantially less confused than when I first met you, and older in some ways."

"I guess working here has its consequences." She wasn't lying in telling him that either. She found a new resolve and was working on piecing herself together.

"You should come around this area more often, I never see you on campus."

"They had me moved permanently to the central block, it's a long distance away from here, I'm just filling in for someone." She wasn't unhappy with her assigned area, since it meant she was often with Bianchi.

"Well we can change that, how about coffee sometime?" Dino suggested.

Kurara opened her mouth to refuse, but then she thought about the little opportunities she had to sit down and socialise like everyday people. It was a good time to let herself open up and make some new friends, with all the changes she was going through. She remembered tomorrow was Wednesday, and since her morning shifts as a cleaner had been moved to the weekend she would be free until the afternoon. "I'm good for tomorrow morning…my shift is at two" Kurara said awkwardly. Dino exclaimed quite enthusiastically he had no classes or lectures to attend to until two as well so they were free to converse all morning. For some reason this made her nervous, it was already a universal fact she was a terribly awkward person with no social skills whatsoever, so to be sitting in a café with a charismatic, good-looking foreigner would have her stumbling with words and making a fool out of herself. Nevertheless, they agreed to meet at a local café two hours before work and he insisted on giving her a lift to the uni since they were both headed there anyway. With a tense smile she nodded and bade him goodbye.

"Don't hold me up," he chuckled with good humour, and it scared her that she actually considered doing so for a moment there, not because she didn't like him or anything, but because of her nerves.

Later that day she received a message from one of the janitors that were rostered to clean the Humanities and Sociology buildings that he was ill and if possible she could take his shift. He must have been desperate since Kurara wasn't actually permitted to clean that area. About two and a half months earlier, the day after the double blow Hibari and Mukuro had given her, with the addition of falling into deep depression and having multiple epiphanies and finding her current resolve, Hibari had personally requested she be kept out of his premises which was the reason why she had been moved to the central block. What surprised her was that he did not sully her reputation and merely stated his reason for not wanting her cleaning Humanities and Sociology was that he felt she was too inexperienced compared to the older janitors. He could have gotten her fired if he wanted, and poof – that would be the end of her presence. Kurara firmly believed it was because there was even the slightest amount of compassion within him, even if no one (Bianchi) would believe her. Bianchi thought it would draw too much attention to him and that was the real reason he was merciful.

"Oh Kurara, Takuma asked you to take his shift," a middle-aged janitor named Chia said.

"Yes madam, I just got the message a short while ago."

"Chia is fine. Remember to work twice as hard, god knows why that arrogant Dean refuses to acknowledge you," she noted crossly.

"He says I'm incompetent and too inexperienced. Fair enough, I've only been here about three months."

"And you work like you've been here for years!" Chia cried, lifting her arms in exaggeration. "You know what my theory is?"

Kurara shook her head.

"I think he's just shy and he might be developing a crush on this young janitor," she put an arm around Kurara's shoulder. She began to blush madly and shook Chia's arm off.

"N-No way, we've barely talked. He definitely thinks low of me!"

Chia burst into laughter, giving the shy janitor a painful slap on the back. "Of course I was only joking, that Hibari doesn't seem to have any interest in dating! But if I didn't know, from the look on your face I think _you _might have a thing for him."

"I-I-I-I don't…"

"You're such a plain girl, with a reserved personality," Chia said with painful bluntness.

Kurara felt an arrow pierce right through her chest, she hung her head feeling rather hurt.

The older woman then cupped Kurara's chin in her small hands and tilted her head down, "But those eyes, though a bit gloomy, I rather enjoy looking at them. There's that kind and gentle glint I hardly find in youngsters these days. I think you would be perfect for that grouch, it's a magnetic mismatch." Chia smiled at her, wrinkles splintering across her wise face.

At this, Kurara felt a little happier, for no one has ever graced her with a compliment about her appearance, even if it was only vague. Chia gave her a pat on the shoulder before leaving, and she was left with a warm tingling sensation that she often felt whenever her parents would praise her for doing chores or something silly. Kurara packed her things so she wouldn't have to return to her locker once she was done with the shift.

Once inside the Humanities and Sociology building, she set to work cleaning with more effort than usual so that Hibari could not complain even if he wanted to. She was sure he would find another reason anyway, but if she did bump into him she would explain that she was only covering for a colleague and wouldn't bother him. Much to her dismay, Hibari was out of sight, and she was down to the last few floors. It was becoming quite clear that she was not going to have a chance to see him. She started into one of the lecture theatres which was presumably empty but as she peeked through the small gap of the slightly open door, she stopped at the sight of the handsome, sharp-eyed Dean conversing with a preppy student.

"Speak of the devil…" she muttered.

"So if I were to conduct a longitudinal study should I consider the possibility that my confounding variables would increase?"

"Possibly, but you're research is not being stretched over a decade so whether you decide on this method or not the results would still level."

It was strange seeing Hibari talk so civilly to a student, because even Kurara knew he was not a social person, but then again, this was his job and he had to be professional regardless. It would be nice to see him giving a lecture, she doubted it would be a humorous session but something told her he was an engaging speaker. She heard from Bianchi that Hibari only taught those in their final year, honour students and onwards, which I guess was to avoid younger years that were still enjoying their campus life rather than focusing on education.

After a few more words exchanged, the student thanked Hibari and hurried down the aisle with an enthusiastic look on his face. Whatever the Dean had said obviously satisfied the student. Kurara took a step to the side to make way for the young man, he barely glanced at her when he walked passed. She felt a sense of envy, would she have ended up just like him if she were able to study here? Past mistakes always brought her mood down, she shook her head with annoyance and boldly pushed the doors open to enter the theatre. Hibari was still organising his papers when he looked up.

Kurara dared not say anything. She held out her cleaning supplies anxiously to indicate she was here for no other reason than that. He didn't take his eyes off her, but she couldn't tell whether he was angry, annoyed, irate or plainly passive because she was too afraid to meet his gaze. She made every effort to lift her limbs and begin work. Slowly but surely she was beginning to manage, but from the corner of her eye, she knew Hibari had not stopped staring at her.


End file.
